GraceNotes (Spring 2018) by Derek Brown

Table of Contents Featured Articles 15 Science Spotlight: Do Aliens and Ghosts Exist? By Aaron Holsteen 18 The Sufficiency of Scripture for Evangelism By James Bynum 21 A Biblical View of Contemporary Signs and Wonders By Justin Peters 25 The Sufficiency of Scripture for Apologetics By Cliff McManis 33 The Sufficiency of Scripture for Counseling By J. R. Cuevas

Reviews and Interviews 3 Meet the Elder | Peter and Alice Lam Interview by Jasmine Patton 37 Book Review | God’s Word Alone by Matthew Barret Review by Derek Brown

Regular Features 1 The Pastor’s Study | Is Home-Schooling the Only Option for Christians? By Cliff McManis 5 Engage | The Value and Necessity of the Pastor-Theologian By Derek Brown 13 Is That in the Bible? | The Doctrine of Purgatory By J. R. Cuevas 31 Testimonies of Grace | Discovering God’s Sovereignty By Oluwasanya Awe 35 Reflections | The Value of Pre-marital Counseling By Elijah and Breanna Paniagua 40 Biblical Foundations | The Canon of Scripture By Austin Thompson John 4:35

Essays 9 Sheep or Wolf? A Call for Discernment By Colin Eakin 28 Religious Persecution in India: The Effects on Christ to India Ministry and Its Pastors By Bob Douglas

Volume 3.2 Editor-in-Chief Cliff McManis

Managing Editor Derek Brown

Associate Editors Breanna Paniagua J. R. Cuevas Jasmine Patton

Advisory Board

Bob Douglas, Sam Kim, Tim Wong, Peter Lam

The Pastor’s Study

Is Home-Schooling the Only Option for Christians?

Cliff McManis Elder, Pastor-Teacher at GBF “To homeschool or not to homeschool? That is the question.” For Christian parents with young children there are few matters more important than how we will educate our children. The Bible clearly commands parents to teach and train their children—the question is, “By what means can we and will we do that?” In the church there is much debate about the virtues of homeschooling versus putting the kids in public or private Christian school. Is one more biblical than another? In pursuing an answer, consider the following regarding the three education models and how they are represented in Scripture.

old was taken in and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter in Egypt. This means he was reared with a pagan worldview from his infancy until he was almost forty!1

Secular Education in the Bible First, public school (for the sake of the discussion we can also call it “secular education”). Moses, one of the godliest men in the Bible, was definitely raised with a secular education in Egypt among the pagans. Scripture is clear that around 1520 BC, Moses was born and at three months

The patriarchs Isaac and Jacob were nomads, always on the move, so they did not put their children in an educational institution outside their home. They taught their children at home in their tents—they did tentschooling! This was the case until the twelve sons of Jacob moved to Egypt. After becoming enslaved, the education process became abnormal for 400 years, but nevertheless was centered in the home.

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In addition to Moses, there was Daniel, another godly man in the Bible. Around 600 BC, Daniel was subjected to a secular education, probably as a junior-higher or teenager, by the pagan King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:3-4, 6). So it is clear that at this time Daniel’s formal education was utterly secular, pagan, and unsupervised by his parents. Homeschooling in the Bible Homeschooling has a long, unbroken tradition for Christians and Jews that extends back to the time of Abraham, the first Jew (2000 BC). After Abraham was saved in his eighties, no doubt he began teaching his family about the true God, YHWH. Abraham did not have the Bible, ABEKA or Bob Jones Publishing as resources, but he did have occasional direct revelation from God.

After God raised up Moses and gave Israel the Torah, He brought them to the

Promised Land. From 1400 BC till about 600 BC, religious homeschooling was the norm for God’s covenant people. As a matter of fact, homeschooling was to be deliberate, formal and systematic as God gave the Hebrews divine mandates and guidelines about educating their children from holy Scripture. Parents were expected to teach their own children directly from the Law of Moses (cf. Deut 6:1-9), the Psalms and the Proverbs. For example, the godly mother in Proverbs 31 is known for being an outstanding and respected educator of her own children: “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue… Her children rise up and bless her” (Prov 31:26, 28). But even during this time parents did not teach their children in isolation; the whole nation of Israel was one community before God and they had builtin corporate and societal identities and practices—including education—that extended beyond the immediate nuclear family. In the covenant community, you were not just part of a family, but you were also part of a larger tribe and nation. Fast forward to the New Testament several centuries later and it is apparent that homeschooling was still the norm for the Jews. For example, Timothy, the disciple of Paul, was Jewish on his mother’s side. It is apparent that he was homeschooled. His Jewish mother taught him the Hebrew Scriptures in a formal manner from the time he was very young until he became a young man. Paul’s second letter to Timothy provides a little insight on this (2 Tim 1:5; 3:14-15). From the select examples above it is clear that homeschooling can definitely be found in the Bible. Private Religious Education in the Bible What about Christian schools? Are they in the Bible? Well, I’d say definitely the predecessor to Christian schools is in the Bible as well as the foundational principles that warrant Christian schools. The New Testament mentions synagogues. Synagogues were places where Jews gathered for worship, studied the Law of Moses and educated the children. The synagogue was different from the Jewish Temple. There was only one Jewish Temple, yet there were hundreds of synagogues. The Temple was to be built only in Jerusalem, God’s designated epicenter of Israelite religion. Synagogues existed everywhere, even outside Palestine in places like Alexandria, Asia,

and Greece. The Temple was the center of animal sacrifice; the synagogues did not perform sacrifices. The Temple was instituted in the Old Testament at the time of King David and King Solomon (1000 BC). Synagogues are not mentioned in the Old Testament and first appear in the Gospels. Priests ran the Temple while Rabbis ran the synagogues. Nowhere in Scripture did God explicitly command His people to build synagogues or to worship, teach, and study in them. Nevertheless, Jesus attended synagogue as a Jew and even taught in the synagogue. As a matter of fact, the first place Jesus ever taught publicly upon starting His threeyear ministry after getting baptized by John the Baptist was in the synagogue (Luke 4:14-16). The apostle Paul also taught regularly in Jewish synagogues during his three missionary journeys. For example, when Paul arrived for the first time in Thessalonica, “there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:1-2). Priscilla and Aquila were Christians who also attended synagogue to hear the Scriptures taught (Acts 18:26). It is clear from Scripture and also from history that the synagogue was a formal educational facility outside the home where people came to receive formal religious education from Scripture— women as well as men, and girls as well as boys. The synagogue actually became a pattern for formal education that the early church adopted and perpetuated all through church history. It was extensively formalized in the days of Martin Luther (14831546) and he wrote much about Christian school education. Today’s Christian schools definitely have roots in the Jewish synagogue. So all three ways of education are modeled positively in the Bible to one degree or another. This should cause any Christian parent to pause and refrain from being overly dogmatic about their model of choice. The priorities in educating our children need to emphasize clear biblical mandates rather than debating about changing cultural conventions. Parents need to take this issue to the Lord in prayer, guided by Scripture and wise godly counsel, and then make a decision that best suits your family. ___________________________ 1. See Acts 7:20-23 for more information on Moses’ upbringing.

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Meet the Elder | Peter and Alice Lam

Interview with Jasmine Patton, Associate Editor of GraceNotes

Where did you both grow up? Alice: I grew up in Hong Kong and then immigrated to San Jose, California. I have lived most of my life in the Bay Area. Peter: I grew up in Hong Kong and then immigrated to Long Island, New York. Two years later, my family and I moved to the Bay Area. What do you both do for a living? Alice: I work at the front desk of a primary care department at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Peter: I work at General Dynamics Satellite Communications division as an engineering program manager. I am responsible for the engineering performance, engineering headcount and proposal activities for the San Jose facility. When and how were you both saved? Alice: I grew up in a non-Christian home in Hong Kong, where many people believe in Buddha and Confucius. My family followed some of these traditions, such as ancestor worship and offering incense during the holiday season. In elementary school, I heard the name of Jesus through a Christmas school play. I also recall hearing John 3:16, “for God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have eternal life.” As a young child, I was in awe of the sacrificial love of Jesus. During my teenage years, both my parents passed away, and I realized how life is short and the future is uncertain. Later, Peter and I got married and had children of our own. It was through a co-op baby class that I met two faithful Christian sisters. They introduced me to Christianity and that is how I got opportunities to meet other believers which eventually led me and my children

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to church. I heard the gospel and recognized the grace of God. I repented and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Peter: It was in December 1995 when God saved me. I grew up in a non-Christian home surrounded by a bit of Buddhism. God used my family’s witness of Christ by their faithfulness and joy being at church, and also by convicting me through the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I was baptized during the Easter 1996 church service. How did you meet and when were you married? Peter: We met at a group backpack event over a Labor Day weekend. After the group of eight (four men and four women) gathered, we sorted out our backpacks and decided on who would be in which car. Providentially, my car was designated to transport a number of backpacks and one passenger, Alice. So, we were able to chat for 3 hours each way! Not long after that, we start-

ed to see each other on a regular basis. We were married in June, 1983. How many kids do you have and what are they currently doing? Peter: We have three children. Cassie is a registered nurse at Kaiser Cardiology department in the Bay Area. Jenny is also a registered nurse practicing in Kentucky. Richard is a mechanical engineer at a small engineering firm in San Jose.

occasion. Since mid-2015, I have been serving as an elder and oversee the Bible studies and fellowship ministries. What is the biggest blessing you have experienced while at GBF? Alice: I have really enjoyed being under Pastor Cliff’s teaching and also have been so blessed by the music team. Peter: One of the biggest blessings has been the teaching by Pastor Cliff and others at the pulpit, and in Sunday School because it is Bible-based and doctrinally sound. This has really enriched my theology and strengthened my convictions.

What do you both enjoy doing as a family in your free time? Alice: We enjoy traveling abroad and try to do so annually. As for family time, we just enjoy any chance we get to gather together which usually surrounds a celebration and lots of food. How has GBF changed since its inception? Peter: One of the biggest changes to GBF since we started coming about 10 years ago, is the demographics. GBF started with a large number of twenty-somethings. Now, there are more families with young children, young professionals, and empty-nesters. When did you come to GBF? Peter: I think it was the summer of 2007. In what ministries have you both served and what are you currently involved with? Alice: I help set up the coffee cart on Sunday mornings and help Peter in a Bible study we host in our home. Peter: I served as an usher previously, and I have continued to serve as a home Bible study leader and teach Sunday School on

What is one thing most people at GBF don’t know about you? Alice: I like to do gardening and hiking. Peter: I have a strong inner drive to get things done. I don’t like loose ends that linger. If there is time, I will strive to get a task at least partially done. How can GBF be praying for you? Alice: Prayer for salvation of my children. I have two children who are still not saved. And also protection for our family. Peter: We have many family members who need Jesus. We covet your prayers for their salvation. Also, pray for our faithfulness in being God’s servants and good stewards of all He has graciously given us. gbfpress.com

Engage | The Value and Necessity of the Pastor-Theologian Derek Brown Elder, Associate Pastor at GBF

A pastor is a preacher and teacher. He shepherds his people, by attending to biblical exposition in the pulpit, the lectern, and the counseling session. His primary labor of theology, therefore, will be located in his teaching, preaching, writing, and counseling ministry.

While it may be difficult to believe in our current cultural setting, there was a time when the pastor was viewed as a town’s leading intellectual. Pastors of what seems like a long-lost era were doctrinally grounded and biblically saturated, to be sure; but they were also well-read in other important branches of study—literature, economics, politics, philosophy, and science—and were therefore able to apply biblical truth to these areas of inquiry with keen spiritual and intellectual skill, helping their people think theologically about major trends within the church and the greater society. Most importantly, the pastor was a theologian. Today, however, the pastoral office is no longer viewed in such categories. At worst, the title “pastor-theologian” is a contradiction, for to be a pastor is to be one whose primary work is people and their spiritual well-being; to be a theologian is to labor away from people among books, and mainly in the area of academic scholarship. The pastor-theologian, despite what history may tell us, appears to be an ecclesiastical impossibility in our current age. This is due, at least partially, to the fact that the larger contemporary church has loaded the pastoral role with responsibilities and expectations that hinder if not altogether prohibit the work of theology. The pastor is seen chiefly as a “leader, organization builder, administrator, coach, inspirer, endless problem solver, spiritual pragmatist, and so much more.”1 For a pastor to consider how he might engage in important doctrinal discussions and cultural issues, pursue some form of theological writing, and make scholarly contributions to the larger Christian academy is to indulge in pointless fantasy: his role and his time preclude these kinds of endeavors.

How the Enlightenment Changed Pastoral Ministry in Europe

But the popular reshaping of the pastoral role is also a symptom of the massive rift that has slowly but surely formed over the past 300 years between the church and the academy (i.e., the university). Due to the Enlightenment’s (c. 1685-1815) detachment of biblical authority from rational inquiry, the contribution of the Christian pastor in any realm other than religion was greatly diminished. As the Enlightenment’s suspicion of authority pervaded Europe, Christian theology was soon viewed to function only within the realm of “faith;” other areas of inquiry— especially science—functioned within the realm of “reason.” Faith dealt with that which was private and non-falsifiable; reason traded on that which was public and empirical. Autonomous reason, unaided by divine revelation, was now valued as the chief means by which all people would be able to arrive at universal knowledge.2 Theology, therefore, no longer referred to objective truth about the Creator and His ways, but as a collection of improvable propositions that have no authoritative bearing on other areas of study. The separation of faith and reason led inevitably to the detachment of the church and the academy. “Over the space of the eighteenth

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and nineteenth centuries,” Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson observe, “the universities [in Europe], which had been largely conceived and reared in service of the churches, gradually became institutions of the state.”3 The sociological fruit of this institutional rending was that the pastor was now marginalized in terms of intellectual contribution to the greater society. The scholar, however, was lionized.

How the Pastoral Role Changed in North America

While not dismissing how the Enlightenment served to undermine the pastoral role in North America, the factors that led to the separation between the church and the academy

are slightly different than in Europe. The three major features of colonial and post-colonial life that sharpened the divide between pastoral ministry and the work of theology were (1) urbanization; (2) the Revolutionary War; and (3) the development of divinity schools.4 Before the small and scattered towns of the fledging American colonies started to see significant population growth, it was usually the pattern that each town had one church with one pastor, with the church at the center of the town’s spiritual and social life.5 Because of this societal structure, the pastor’s engagement in and influence on the town’s religious and civic life would have been significant. The pastor would

have likely been the most educated person in town, and training for the ministry would have taken place primarily within the ecclesial setting as young men learned theology and ministry skills from the pastor himself.6 As these towns grew in number, they soon became too large for only one church. The pastors who once enjoyed substantial political and cultural influence soon found their authority and social status reduced. Furthermore, the spirit of democracy and societal egalitarianism generated by the Revolutionary War had persuaded a new generation of would-be spiritual leaders that theological education—in the church or elsewhere—was no longer needed for min-

istry. True piety, they claimed, was only hindered by much theological learning; all that a minister needed for gospel proclamation and growth were the Spirit and the Scriptures, and sometimes not much of either.7 The early nineteenth century also saw the establishment of several divinity schools in North America. Whereas theological education in colonial America was previously the domain of the local church, with the development of divinity schools the primary sphere for pastoral training was now located in an institution outside the church. “By the mid-nineteenth century, the pastor theologian in North America had been replaced by the professor theologian.”8 gbfpress.com

The fracture between the role of the pastor and the work of the theologian has only widened and deepened since the separation began in Europe and North America over four centuries ago. But this development is neither healthy for the church or the academy. As pastors increasingly view their role as managers, spiritual coaches, corporate executives, and social coordinators, and professional theologians drift further from the needs of the church into more refined areas of expertise (intelligible to only a handful of highly-trained scholars), both institutions will suffer.

The Pastor-Theologian Model is Biblical

Because of its detachment from theology, the church has grown spiritually weak, socially compromised, and susceptible to hazardous doctrinal trends. Likewise, due to a decreased interest in and connection with the genuine needs of Christ’s church, the Christian scholar is in danger of producing material of little spiritual and theological benefit for the most important institution in the world, the body of Christ. And what is most concerning about the present situation is that this cycle is self-perpetuating: unless something foundational changes in the culture of the church and the academy, the rupture between the pastor and theologian can only worsen as time goes on. But for the sake of Christ’s bride, we cannot throw up our hands in resignation. We can, one church at a time, one pastor at a time, recapture the glorious office of the pastor-theologian for the glory of God and the eternal good of His people. We will be aided in this endeavor by first reminding ourselves that the model of pastor-theologian is biblical. It’s not enough to point to historical precedent and start framing our vision around early church or seventeenth century ideals. We have to first be convinced that God calls the pastor to be first and foremost a theologian. This does not imply that a pastor must be skilled in every conceivable branch of technical theology or broader areas of learning—although he should have some interest in these fields. Rather, to be a theologian is to first be concerned with the study, preservation, and proclamation of historic Christian doctrine at the local church level (1 Tim 1:3; 4:6; 6:3; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 1:9; 2:1; 4:2). The pastor is tasked with shepherding the flock among him (1 Pet 5:2), so his work of theology is first and foremost for his people.

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This labor will be expressed in preaching, teaching, discipleship, counseling, and writing as the pastor thinks carefully and rigorously about how to apply the truth to his people in their present setting. But the very nature of this work requires that the pastor be well engaged with broader theological discussions and trends so that he can guard his people from what is wrong and unhelpful and inform his people of what is true and helpful. We see this modeled by the authors of the New Testament epistles as their teaching dealt directly with contemporary false doctrine and false teachers (Gal 1:8-9; 3:1-2; 4:7; 2 Pet 2:1ff). Practically, then, the pastor-theologian will keep his mind attuned to the ideas that are percolating at an academic level through regular reading, conference attendance, intentional research, and other means. Yet, this kind of study and research is no mere intellectual hobby for a pastor. A theologically indifferent pastor is like a shepherd who has no interest in wolf taxonomy. He may prefer to avoid these subjects, but precious lives are at stake, so he must find a way to remain current with trends in the greater theological world.

The Pastor-Theologian Model is Historical

Second, we must see that the pastor-theologian model is historical. Although the pastoral role is no longer viewed, by and large, as the primary place where a theologian would ply his craft, the truth is that this recent trend is contrary to historical precedent. “Throughout most of the church’s history,” Hiestand and Wilson comment, “the pastoral vocation was a primary vocation for theologians and biblical scholars. One need only to think of history’s most important theologians to be reminded that the pastoral office was once compatible with robust theological scholarship.”9 But not only was the pastor viewed as a theologian; he would conduct his labor of theology within the context of the local church and his ministerial duties. Owen Strachan explains: [Early church pastors] did not separate from the people and the ministry to learn theology but instead tilled the rich soil of Scripture in the context of pastoral work . . . it would have been unthinkable for these early pastors to give up the grind of weekly Bible exposition in order to sequester themselves in

theological meditation to mine more deeply into the Bible’s doctrine. On the contrary, reading the Bible for sermon preparation was itself an opportunity for real theological work, a glorious exegetical grind.10 Yet, when it was necessary, these pastor-theologians would engage rigorously with contemporary theological and cultural issues, expending significant energy and time to write, teach, even attend conferences in order to set things in order and give doctrinal aid to the greater church. With varying degrees of consistency, this model of pastor-theologian held sway in the early and medieval church and through the Reformation. The post-Enlightenment aftermath, as we saw, successfully dismantled the connection between the pastor and the theologian for much of Europe and North America. But for most of church history, this was not the case. To recapture the ideal of pastor-theologian, therefore, is not only to reinstall the biblical model; it is to return to the historical one as well.

The Pastor-Theologian Model is Necessary

Third, we must see that the pastor-theologian is necessary. Foundationally, a pastor is a preacher and teacher of Christian doctrine for his local congregation. He shepherds his people, in large measure, by attending to biblical exposition in the pulpit, the lectern, and the counseling session. His primary labor of theology, therefore, will be located in his weekly sermon preparations and in his teaching, preaching, writing, and counseling ministry. He will also take careful note of recent scholarship in order to protect his people from dangerous theological trends and to remain well informed of useful new resources for his people. But the pastor-theologian is also necessary for the greater church. Beyond his labors among his immediate flock, the pastor-theologian should be encouraged to take his pastoral experience, intellectual rigor, and broad knowledge of various biblical and theological topics to the academy as well. So long as academic specialists are allowed to constantly refine and narrow their areas of expertise, they are in danger of losing a sense of the true nature and purpose of theology. Indeed, some of the most unbiblical theological statements I’ve heard have come from theologians who have so narrowed their scholarly interests that they’ve lost their grip on the whole counsel of God’s Word or so sequestered themselves in their technical reflections that they have little awareness of the spiritual needs of ordinary Christians in the local church setting. The pastor-theologian, working primarily in and for the local church, can take his skill as a generalist and his insight as a shepherd of people to the guild in order to help the academy produce better resources for the greater church.11

How Can the Church Encourage Pastor-Theologians?

How can the local congregation partner with and encourage their local shepherd to start or continue his pursuit of becoming a pastor-theologian? Most importantly, once you are convinced that this is the biblical, historical, and necessary role of the pastor, you can pray that your shepherd makes the work of theology a priority in his daily ministry preparations and labors and has the time to do so. You can also pray that your pastor has the opportunity to engage the greater academic community at some level. At GBF, we’ve created a line of books called The Foundations Series to aid in this scholarly engagement (with our first book, Apologetics by the Book, by Pastor Cliff McManis), and we encourage our pastors to write articles and conference papers for academic publication and presentation. Recently, Pastor Cliff presented a paper at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting this past November in Rhode Island. I was able to present a paper in 2014 at the same meeting in San Diego. Please pray that the Lord would bless these efforts for His glory and for the good of His church. Above all, we hope that you value the role of the pastor-theologian. When a pastor takes some time, after fulfilling his immediate pastoral duties, to engage in theological reading, writing, and, if the Lord wills, publication, he is not participating in mere ivory-tower banter that has no bearing on the life of the church. Rather, by utilizing his gifts and experience in this way your pastor-theologian is acquiring greater skill to better serve his flock while also supplying the academy with a much-needed pastoral perspective on its work of theology. Perhaps with some effort and much prayer, we can recapture the vision of the pastor-theologian for the glory of Christ and the health of His bride. ________________________ 1. Owen Strachan, “Of Scholars and Saints,” in The Pastor as Public Theologian, by Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015), 70. 2. See W. Andrew Hoffecker, “Enlightenments and Awakenings: The Beginning of Modern Culture Wars,” in Revolutions in Worldview, ed. W. Andrew Hoffecker (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2007), 240-80; Jonathan Hill, Faith in the Age of Reason (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004), 113-35. 3. Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), 44. 4. Hiestand and Wilson, The Pastor Theologian, 46-49. 5. David Wells, No Place for Truth or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 24. 6. Hiestand and Wilson, The Pastor Theologian, 47. 7. Hiestand and Wilson, The Pastor Theologian, 49 8. Hiestand and Wilson, The Pastor Theologian, 49. 9. Hiestand and Wilson, The Pastor Theologian, 22. 10. Owen Strachan, “Of Scholars and Saints,” 71. 11. Hiestand and Wilson, The Pastor Theologian, 96. gbfpress.com

ESSAY

Sheep or Wolf? A Call for Discernment Colin Eakin, Member at GBF

If you were asked to identify the Bible’s most neglected command for the Christian today, how would you answer? Richard Stearns of World Vision has written that our greatest neglect—what he terms the “hole in our gospel”—is failure to address adequately the physical/material needs of the world’s less fortunate. Is that true? Is this where Christians are most deserting Christ’s work today? Here is a survey of mission projects featured on the websites of a random selection of Bay Area churches: homeless shelter, fair trade, sex trafficking, micro-lending to the Third

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World, food for the hungry, Africa relief, Haiti relief, flood relief—the list goes on. Even a cursory glimpse of area churches across a wide spectrum of doctrinal beliefs shows a tremendous commitment to the downtrodden, and to those most materially “at risk.” There may be a “hole” in our outworking of true Christian faith, but it doesn’t lie in inattention to the less fortunate. So if there is a socalled “hole,” a most neglected biblical doctrine, wherein does it lie?

See if you can determine their biblical wisdom, or lack thereof:

Try this out. The following are recent statements from several popular evangelical pastors and/or authors.

What do you think? Right on target, or grossly incorrect and, in fact, heretical?

“Every step you make takes you one step closer to heaven or one step closer to hell.” “The gospel is not about being saved from your sins.” “Jesus never said that it was important to believe the right things about Him.”

Or imagine this scenario. Maybe someone you know is alone, wandering in his own spiritual desert. Not only that, perhaps he has unmet physical needs, maybe even actual hunger. To go even further, maybe to all appearances he cannot or will not recognize his innate capacity for success, his opportunity to exert his God-given aptitude for noteworthy accomplishment. Then along comes someone of friendly countenance, one who is sensitive to the loner’s difficulties. He appears on the scene just in time to encourage and uplift the forlorn stranger. He sees his hunger and provides an opportunity for food. He senses the loner’s spiritual longing and encourages him with promises from Scripture. He grasps the unrecognized or unacknowledged potential in the loner and exhorts him to fulfill all that he is designed to be.

friend here seems loving. The friend here seems kind. The friend here is meeting the loner’s needs, addressing Stearns’ “hole” in the gospel. The friend here couldn’t be Satan, could he? The process of detecting satanic activity from true righteousness concerns the vital area of spiritual discernment. It is the ability to separate biblical truth from falsehood accurately and reliably. And without a doubt, the lack of spiritual discernment among professing Christians is the most neglected demand God makes upon believers today. Where does God command believers to exercise spiritual discernment? Perhaps a better question is, where doesn’t He? The answer is Philemon.

Christ’s warning at the end of His Sermon on the Mount: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matt 7:15). Wow! There it is in plain language, from no less an expert than Jesus! This is the climax of Jesus’ longest uninterrupted teaching in Scripture. Jesus could have focused on a number of other issues as He concluded His momentous sermon, but He chose spiritual discernment. Not only that, He warned His listeners that the threat to them was as if being attacked by a wolf ! Jesus is implying here that the threat of spiritual death—eternal destruction—weighs in the balance! With such clear instruction from God, how could this imperative escape the church’s no-

Pretty magnanimous, huh? This would seem, at least on first glance, to exhibit sound, Christian practice in every sense. In fact, this outreach seems not unlike the Good Samaritan in action. He has come alongside the loner when no one else has or will. He has tended to the loner’s physical, spiritual and psychological needs in a noble manner. And in so doing, he has walked in Jesus’ footsteps, hasn’t he? He has proven himself to be a true “Jesus-follower,” right? There’s just one problem. The scenario outlined above is not hypothetical. This scenario actually happened and is recorded in the Bible. The loner described above is Jesus, as depicted in Matthew 4:1-5. The “friend” is Satan. Whoa! What’s going on here? How could this be? Isn’t Satan always despicable in practice? Doesn’t he only work in the realm of violence, hatred, wickedness, perversity and other forms of obvious evil? The

Of all the books in the New Testament, this letter of twenty-five verses is the only one in which there is no direct command for the believer to discern truth from falsehood and to act upon it. All the remaining twenty-six books of the New Testament (and many of the Old) exhort the believer, to a greater or lesser degree, to be on guard against falsehood. In fact, Second Peter and Jude were written explicitly for this purpose. A summary statement on the need for spiritual discernment comes in

tice? How could today’s professing believers be so blind to this threat? The answer is three-fold: 1. Ignorance. Many professing believers today are ignorant of what God’s Word has to say and how it is to be interpreted, especially in the area of spiritual discernment. Many are not instructed in the complete counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and so are ignorant of its demands upon them. In fact, where modern evangelical churches are themselves pastored by gbfpress.com

wolves, the teaching these congregations hear will likely tiptoe around any explicit warning to be on guard against spiritual falsehood. 2. Difficulty. Detecting falsehood from truth is challenging. It requires an awareness of how Satan operates (2 Cor 2:11). It requires constant vigilance, knowing that Satan is ceaseless and relentless in seeking to devour the unwitting and naïve (1 Pet 5:8). And it requires insight into his typical guise and ploy, that he resembles not the comically devilish caricature he has gone to great lengths to propagate, but rather an “angel of light,” and that his demons resemble “servants of righteousness” (2 Cor 11:13-15). As Phil Johnson has said, Satan would always rather slightly pervert the truth than utter a complete falsehood. He does his best work, not by attacking the church, but by joining it. This is why the great nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon once wrote that discernment is not telling right from wrong; it is telling right from almost right—an arduous task indeed, especially for the uninformed and disinterested. 3. Unpopular. Even when falsehood is discovered, it is rarely denounced. Why not? Because in today’s evangelical morass, that is to be unloving. Rather than follow God’s dictum to expose and denounce falsehood for what it is (Eph 5:11; 2 Cor 10:5; Titus 1:9; 2:15; 2 Tim 4:1-5), today’s pattern heads 180-degrees in the opposite direction, sweeping aside any doctrinal differences in the “broad-minded” search for unity. The modern evangelical ecumenical drive redefines love as acceptance and kindness as the universal embrace of any and all ideas with even the slightest patina of “Christian-ese.” All that is required for entrance to the club is to be earnest and agreeable. Small wonder, then, that those raising their hands to identify unbiblical ideas and their source are more often scolded than applauded. The zeitgeist of today’s Church finds it unkind and unloving to inspect the ideas of a would-be Christian leader or teacher, looking for any telltale seams in an otherwise congenial veneer that might uncover lupine intent. So how do we correct this disobedient drift? Supposing one wants to obey God’s guidelines regarding the detection and denigration of falsehood, how does the believer exercise such biblical discernment? Christ’s example in His confrontation with Satan gives us straightforward guidelines: Read, Study and Apply God’s Word Jesus answers each of Satan’s temptations with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy every time in retort to the devil’s lies. In doing so, He establishes the pattern for His true followers in their confrontations with Satan and his minions. Christians need to use the Word of God just as Jesus did, as a weapon for both defending the truth (1 Pet 3:15) and for tearing down falsehood (2 Cor 10:3-5). God describes His

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Word as a fire, a rock and a sword in destroying all forms of falsehood (Jer 23:29; Heb 4:12). Christians must have a ready command for the martial use of God’s Word against false doctrine, just as God intends. Pray Although Matthew 4:1-2 does not explicitly mention that Jesus was praying, we can infer that He did this along with His fast. Prayer and fasting are often linked in Scripture (Dan 9:3; Luke 2:37; Acts 14:23). Moreover, all other passages where Jesus goes to be alone mentions His praying (Matt 14:23; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:28; Mark 1:35). Prayer helps the discernment-desiring believer in a number of ways. It brings him or her into a proper place of reverence, awe and humility before God, recognizing that there is a fearsomeness to His holiness and to His wrath against falsehood. It sharpens one’s commitment to righteousness through repentance of encumbering sins so that one might be sober-minded and alert to falsehood. It invites the Holy Spirit to bring illumination of the Word and its uses against Satan. And it solicits the blessing of God for those wayward in their doctrine, that He might open their blind eyes and redirect them toward truth—the ultimate goal of any discernment ministry. Test the Spirits What does it mean to test the spirits (1 John 4:1)? It means to place what you are hearing, reading or witnessing from those professing like-minded faith alongside what God has put in His Word. Does it align? Does the would-be partner in faith know and embrace the gospel? Is he or she able to articulate it accurately and clearly as “the power of God for the salvation of all who believe” (Rom 1:16)? Or is it in some refurbished form focused on more on earthly considerations and culturally-approved values? In His temptation, Jesus knew the Word of God so perfectly that He easily identified when it was violated by the wiles of Satan. Differentiate a Person from His/Her Ideas The Bible says we are always to be ambassadors for people (2 Cor 5:18-21), even as we war for and against ideas (2 Cor 10:5). The Christian has no enemies, only opportunities to proclaim God’s Word, that God might turn hearts and minds towards Him. As such, we need not fear the denunciation of falsehood as though it somehow endangers its proponent. After all, ideas are fungible. No one is inextricably connected to his or her own error, as though it is integral to his or her makeup. Part of the process of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ—which all believers are to do (2 Pet 3:18)—involves the abandonment of error for truth. So don’t recoil from the confident censure of a professing believer’s error, provided it is done in love, gentleness and respect (1 Cor 13:1-3; 2 Tim 2:24-26). You

are not undermining who he or she is as a person. On the contrary, you are opening him or her to the opportunity to exchange error for truth. So how is your commitment to spiritual discernment? How sensitive is your antennae to the beckoning of Satan? Who are today’s evangelical wolves? Can you recognize and name them readily? Is it obvious to you that the three statements above come not from God but from the enemy?1 The widespread and pervasive biblical exhortation to prac-

tice spiritual discernment is not an option for the believer. It is, rather, God’s oft repeated and enduring command for those who would honor and glorify Him. With this in mind, let us commit ourselves to learning and applying God’s Word, to praying, to testing the spirits and to exercising godly wisdom as we, as Christ’s sheep, persevere on the lookout for wolves. ________________________

1. Statement 1 is refuted by multiple references in God’s Word, including Romans 4:5 and Colossians 1:13. Statement 2 is refuted by multiple references, including 1 Corinthians 15:2. Statement 3 is refuted by multiple references, including John 8:24

GBF CAMP 2018 June 30 - July1

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Is That in the Bible The Doctrine of Purgatory J.R. Cuevas Elder, Associate Pastor at GBF I distinctly remember a phrase that my eighth grade teacher at Christ the King Elementary School would frequently employ when frustrated with our classroom conduct. At the apex of her rant-filled monologue, she would exclaim: “… and I wouldn’t give two ice cubes in purgatory if you….” In case you hadn’t picked it up, I grew up in a primarily Roman Catholic background. Both of my parents were Catholic. The majority of my extended family were practicing Roman Catholics. From preschool through my freshman year in high school, I attended Catholic schools for all but two of those years. I was taught the doctrine of purgatory as I grew up, and I accepted it as true. It wasn’t until I was in first grade that my brother—a sixth grader at the time—heard the gospel of Christ, received it, and was born-again. Upon his conversion, and against my parents’ wishes, he began to converse with me regarding the false teachings of the Catholic Church. Whether it was regarding prayer to Mary or the doctrine of purgatory, he never used logic or reason to disprove those teachings we heard growing up; he would simply say, “It’s against what the Bible teaches.” He may have been a sixth grader, but

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even at that age my brother instilled in me the importance of discerning false teaching by testing all doctrine against the explicit and implicit teaching of Scripture. When it comes to matters of theology, a doctrine is true if the Bible teaches it and false if it does not. It is from this conviction that I came to realize that the doctrine of purgatory is a false doctrine. Before explaining my thesis, it would be helpful to first define the doctrine of purgatory. According to Roman Catholic theology, purgatory is an intermediate state after physical death in which some of those who are destined for heaven must first undergo purification to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The teaching of purgatory claims that it is a place in which a person who is otherwise set to inherit eternal life must be temporarily punished for the so-called venial (or non-mortal) sins they have committed (and for which they have yet to be cleansed). Analogously, purgatory is a temporal prison sentence as opposed to the death penalty of hell. A young lady, a devout Catholic who was attempting to convert me, once told me the following: if a person was a be-

liever in Christ and was driving a car after having mouthed a verbal expletive and then suddenly died from a car accident and immediately died before having the chance to confess his sins, he would have to spend time in purgatory to cleanse himself of that sin before going to heaven. While this lady was a nice and sincere lady, she was wrong. She was wrong because the doctrine of purgatory is an unbiblical doctrine that is both absent from biblical revelation and antithetical to biblical theology. The goal of this article is to expound on this thesis. First, the doctrine of purgatory is false because it is absent from biblical revelation. My brother was right when he first told me that purgatory does not exist because “the Bible never mentions it.” The Catholic Church would argue that the Bible implicitly teaches the doctrine of purgatory because it instructs us to “pray for the dead.” However, this instruction to “pray for the dead” is found in 2 Maccabees 12:42-44. The problem is that 2 Maccabees is not part of the canon of Scripture. The book of 2 Maccabees is one of sev-

ment. The Roman Catholic Church categorizes sin as either mortal or venial, and teaches that purgatory is a place in which one will have a chance to cleanse himself from venial sins. Scripture, however, teaches that the wages of any sin is death (Rom 6:23), and that transgressing any part of the law makes one a transgressor of the whole (James 2:10-11). In other words, exhibiting sinful favoritism toward people in church is just as punishable by eternal death as murdering someone. To say that certain sins can be dealt with in purgatory rather than hell is to teach that not all sin is liable of the death penalty, which is clearly unbiblical. Third, the doctrine of purgatory is antithetical to the biblical teaching of the once-and-for-all substitutionary atonement of Christ on behalf of those He would save. When Christ died for the sins of those who would believe in Him, He atoned for all of the sins of all of His people (1 John 2:2ff). His death was a once-and-for-all death (Heb 7:27; 10:10) that serves as an eternal sacrifice. In other words, when Christ died on the cross, He fully atoned for all of the past, present, and future

A man is justified before God not when he atones for his sins personally, but when he places his faith in Christ alone (Rom 3:28, Gal 2:16) eral extrabiblical books the Roman Catholic Church accepts as as canonical but do not belong in the Bible. The sixty-six books of the Bible—all thirty-nine of the Old Testament and all twenty-seven of the New Testament—never mention anything about purgatory or give any instruction about praying for the dead. One can’t formulate a theological doctrine about something that is absent from the Bible. This is a non-negotiable principle of systematic theology. But just because a place is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible does not necessarily imply its non-existence. After all, the Bible never mentions the geographical places of Las Vegas or Honolulu, and yet both places exist (I know they exist because I lived in both). This leads to the second point. Not only is the doctrine of purgatory absent from biblical revelation, but it is antithetical to biblical theology. In other words, one can’t believe in purgatory and what the Bible says about the afterlife, sin, atonement, and justification. First, the doctrine of purgatory is antithetical to the biblical teaching on the afterlife. Christ taught of two gates—the broad and the narrow, representing heaven and hell—not three (Matt 7:13-14). Christ taught of eternal judgment and eternal life, and not a temporary after-life (Matt 25:46). In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Christ never mentions anything about purgatory or a temporary location to cleanse one’s sins. Hence, He warns that unless one repents, one will perish (Luke 13:3-5). Second, the doctrine of purgatory is antithetical to the biblical teaching on sin, regarding both its nature and punish-

sins that His people would commit. This is why Christ does not have to come down from heaven every year and experience an annual crucifixion for His people. The entire work of atonement has been completed. Fourth, the doctrine of purgatory is antithetical to the biblical teaching on justification by faith alone apart from works. A man is justified before God not when he atones for his sins personally, but when he places his faith in Christ alone (Rom 3:28, Gal 2:16). A man does not justify himself before God by enduring punishment for his sins, but rather by placing faith in the one who endured such punishment. To say that a man destined for heaven must first spend a temporal amount of time in purgatory and endure punishment in order to cleanse himself from his sins, is to deny that justification is by faith alone and that it is instantaneous upon conversion. Randy Alcorn once said that this world is the closest to heaven an unbeliever will ever know and the closest to hell God’s children will ever know. He is right. All of us are sinners, and our time on earth is the only time we will ever have to respond rightly to the reality of our sin. Classifying purgatory as a false doctrine is more than an exercise of theological scholarship; it is a call to urgently respond to the gospel today, for once we pass from this life to the next, where we are is where we’ll be for eternity.

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1. See Austin Thompson’s article, “The Canon of Scripture,” in this issue of GraceNotes for a discussion of how we know what books belong in the Bible. gbfpress.com

Feature

Science Spotlight: Do Aliens and Ghosts Exist? Aaron Holsteen,1 Deacon at GBF

Many people have an innate fascination with the activity of the soul after death and the origin and extent of life in the universe. Both topics are pervasive in our culture of haunted houses and alien-filled movies, and each indicate that people are searching for something beyond their understanding of the known material world. God created mankind in His image to worship Him and fellowship with Him. As a result, we have a curiosity about the unseen and unknown fueled by a nagging feeling (no matter how well suppressed) that the physical world is not all there is. For believers in the one true God, this desire finds its complete fulfillment in an intimate, personal relationship with their Redeemer and in the wisdom and knowledge of His written Word. Nonbelievers seek to answer these ageold questions by appealing to the fantastic and mysterious. As Christians, we must be ready to engage our culture from a biblical worldview, even on these eccentric issues. We are called to “[destroy] speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5) and to “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us], yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet 3:15). Our only sure ground to do either is the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12)—God’s full and sufficient revelation of Himself in His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17). So if we are to carefully, meaningfully, and lovingly engage with our culture on these issues, we must first be firmly grounded in the Word of God. What are ghosts? Allegedly, they are the spirits of the dead who, having not found peace, remain on earth to haunt people and places with which they were associated. Even a cursory examination of the Scriptures precludes such a notion. After death, every man enters into judgment (Heb 9:27). Believers immediately enter into paradise, where they are personally with God, as shown in Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43) and Paul’s conviction that death

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would immediately unite him with Christ (Phil 1:21–23). Regarding unbelievers, a constant tenor of Jesus’ teaching is that unbelief and sin leave one in imminent danger of eternal judgment in hell (see Matt 5:29–30 and Luke 12:4– 5). Likewise, the Old Testament expectation was clearly that the dead were in Sheol, and hence were separated from the world of the living (see Job 21:13; Ps 6:5, 9:17, 16:10, 31:17, 49:14; and David grieving for his son in 2 Sam 12:23). Even those who did not die a natural death on earth are clearly shown to either go straight to heaven (Enoch in Gen 5:24 and Heb 11:5; Elijah in 2 Kings 2:1) or to Sheol (Num 16:28– 33). There is one passage in Scripture that could be construed to support the existence of ghosts: Saul’s encounter with the spirit of Samuel in 1 Samuel 28. In that passage, Saul, worried about his upcoming battle with the Philistines and having removed all wise counsel from his life, seeks a medium to consult the spirit of his dead adversary Samuel. Much to the medium’s surprise, she succeeds in bringing up Samuel, who rebukes Saul and prophesies his death. The passage does make it clear that the spirit really is Samuel: he is consistently called Samuel rather than “the ghost of Samuel,” or “one having the appearance of Samuel.” In addition, he speaks as Samuel spoke by authoritatively prophesying Saul’s death in the name of the Lord. This passage does not contradict the Scripture’s clear teaching on man’s destiny after death: Samuel was not a ghost wandering the earth, but rather was at rest (v. 15). God sovereignly permitted Samuel to return in spirit only through the means of the medium to deliver one final prophecy judging the faithless first king of Israel. Furthermore, the medium’s shock indicates that this was not a normal occurrence, nor one of her tricks! So this passage actually reinforces the Bible’s teaching that the dead are at rest, not wandering the earth and routinely appearing to others. This passage also

echoes the teaching from the rest of Scripture that the appearance of ghosts is directly linked to other detestable and demonic activity, such as witchcraft (Deut 18:10–12). Along with ghosts, another mystery that has captivated the minds of man is the potential existence of extraterrestrial life. Some have spent significant time and money searching for aliens, even in the absence of any positive evidence. For example, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute and the burgeoning academic field of astrobiology have existed in their modern form since at least the 1980s, but so far have yielded no empirical evidence of alien life. Nonetheless, astrobiologists and astronomers are undeterred in their

efforts to detect life outside Earth. What drives this fixation on alien life and what does the Bible have to say about it? To understand many scientists’ interest in alien life, we must first start with their worldview. The modern scientific consensus is that life arose from nonliving chemicals on Earth through a random, drawn-out process of trial and error. The complexity of life makes such a process monumentally improbable, and even directed “experiments” simulating the supposed conditions of the early Earth have only replicated a tiny fraction of the steps needed to create life from nonlife. But the materialist is trapped: he cannot invoke God to explain this incredibly improbable event, and neither can he

allow the Earth to be specially designed to support life. So he must assume, against all the evidence, that the generation of life from non-life is an unguided process that could occur on other planets. Thus, for many scientists, a key component of their drive to find this extraterrestrial life is a desire to validate their naturalistic model for the origin of life on earth. By contrast, the Christian worldview is built on the revelation of a preexistent and sovereign God, through His Word. While the Bible nowhere explicitly precludes the existence of extraterrestrial life, its consistent teaching makes it highly unlikely that life exists outside earth. One problem with

extraterrestrial life is the order of creation. Genesis 1–2, Exodus 20, Hebrews 4, and other passages make it clear that God completed His creative work in the week of Genesis 1. Hence, any extraterrestrial life would have had to be created in that week as well. One immediate issue is the timing of the created order. Plants were created on the third day, but the stars, planets, and moons were created on the fourth day. Since plants are required to support the ecosystem necessary to sustain animal life, one would have to suppose that the planets were created with plants. But we know the earth was not created in this fashion, and none of the other planets in our solar system have plants. gbfpress.com

The existence of sentient (and hence moral) life outside earth meets even greater biblical challenges when considered in view of redemptive history. The Bible is explicit that all of creation, and hence all living beings, were subjected to futility by man’s fall (Rom 8:20–22). But God’s plan of salvation in the Bible is only for His image-bearers—mankind alone. Christ’s redemption of men is directly linked to their being sons of Adam and His being the perfect Second Adam (Rom 5:12–21). Christ’s advent on earth demonstrates that earth is the center of redemptive history in all of time (Gal 4:4). Thus, arguing for the existence of sentient life outside this planet undercuts the centrality of Christ’s redemptive work on earth.

rather a commitment to materialism and a desire to demonstrate that the earth is not uniquely designed for life.

Even from a scientific perspective, the existence of extraterrestrial life faces many challenges. For one, the conditions required for life on earth, such as atmospheric composition, temperature stability, and the presence of water, to name a few, are so demanding that it is unlikely they exist elsewhere in the universe.

Likewise, the Bible’s teaching both removes the driving force behind the search for extraterrestrial life and raises several challenges that make the existence of extraterrestrial life extremely improbable. We should not be taken in by this naturalistic mythology, but should recognize it for what it is: an attempt to satisfy innate curiosity about the unseen and unknown without invoking a personal God who will judge sin. Rather, we should stand on the sure Word of God, which clearly reveals all we need to know to obey and follow God (Deut 29:29) in the person of His Son, the apotheosis of all wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2–9). ______________________

Second, scientists have already looked in the likeliest places for life within our solar system, and have not found even the most primitive forms of life. Coupled with the sheer improbability of life arising from non-life, these challenges make it clear that the driving force behind the continued search for extraterrestrial life is not objective science, but

As Christians, we don’t have to wonder what happens to the souls of the dead, or whether life exists on the other side of the galaxy. After death, the Bible clearly teaches us that believers immediately enter into God’s presence and are at rest, while unbelievers enter a place of judgment awaiting the final judgment. In neither case are the spirits of the dead free to wander the earth as ghosts. We should not be taken in by spurious and unverifiable accounts that are likely merely imaginary—or, if real, likely reflect demonic activity whereby Satan and his demons seek to deceive mankind.

1. This article was co-authored by a research scientist who prefers to remain anoyomous.

Exalting Christ to India

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Feature John 4:35

The Sufficiency of Scripture for Evangelism James Bynum, Member of GBF Here are some interesting questions for you to consider. Does the Bible provide you with everything you need to share the gospel? Does effective modern-day evangelism require specialized knowledge that the average Christian does not possess? In 1 Peter 3:15, Peter says we are to always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks us to give an account for the hope that is in us. Does that mean we need to be able to make impressive arguments that will leave an atheist stammering and unable to answer? After all, knowing what we know today regarding science, is the ancient text of the Bible just the starting point that must then be supplemented with more modern sources of knowledge? What if the person you are talking to says that they don’t care what the Bible says, because they don’t believe in it? What if they say that you can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible? Do you then need to build a reasoned argument for the existence of God without using the Bible? Put simply: Is Scripture ‘sufficient’ for evangelism? Many people in the church would be quick to say that God’s Word is sufficient, if for no other reason than

they don’t want to say that the Bible is ‘insufficient.’ But in practice, do they actually think and act like those who truly believe in the “Sufficiency of Scripture?” The world is filled with people who teach that God’s Word is not sufficient. Many would say that in addition to the Bible you also need to look to books on psychology, science, or philosophy. When it comes to evangelism, some Christians believe that if you can’t quote the works of learned and highly respected men, like Ravi Zacharias does, then you are not qualified to do evangelism. Others think you must first learn to make convincing apologetic arguments for the existence of God based upon real world evidences, or that you must be skilled at making convincing philosophical or transcendental arguments. By telling us to be ready to make a defense, Peter never intended for us to use methods that are not contained within the pages of Scripture itself. He was not pointing to the use of the wisdom of men found outside of the Bible. He wanted us to make a defense using what we find in God’s Word. The reason for the hope that is in us is Christ.

Ashamed of the Gospel The gospel is offensive by nature. It tells us things about ourselves that we do not want to believe. Worse yet, people who are perishing will consider the Gospel to be foolishness; only those being saved will see it as the power of God unto salvation (1 Cor 1:18). The only way for any man to be saved is by receiving that gospel message, yet many will only grow angry at you for giving it to them. Like a drowning man who in his panic can end up killing someone trying to rescue him, evangelizing the lost has similar dangers. The world does not respect Jesus Christ, His gospel, nor those who stand in Christ’s name to proclaim it. Christians are people, too, and as people we naturally want to be liked and respected by others. Nobody wants to be seen as an uneducated fool, but sharing the gospel is a sure way to get others to look at you with that ‘Oh, you are one of those people’ look. Christ has commanded each one of us to proclaim this offensive message to all men and women. We are to take up our cross daily and follow Him, and He promises to make us Fishers of Men (Luke 9:23; Matt 4:19). Yet, many Christians grow ashamed gbfpress.com

of the gospel, and seek to fix it. They try to soften what they perceive to be its jagged edges. Though it is spiritual in nature, they try to make it sound more intellectually satisfying. Many desire to learn ways to win arguments with unbelievers and to “prove” them wrong. It may feel good for the moment to talk circles around someone, but that is not how unbelievers will be saved. Why Scripture is Sufficient The reason Scripture is sufficient for evangelism is because salvation is a miraculous work of God. You could be the smartest and most persuasive person who ever lived and even have the entire Bible memorized from cover to cover—but you still could never get someone into the kingdom by convincing them intellectually or by proving them wrong. Salvation does not depend on your ability to masterfully persuade someone into making a “decision” for Christ. To be saved, an unbeliever must receive the biblical gospel message. That message is not like any other message; it is the power of God set into the pages of God’s Word by the Holy Spirit. We Christians have been tasked by our Lord to spread that gospel message everywhere we can, to everyone who will listen, and to pray for those who need Christ. Once that seed of the gospel is planted in the soil of a man’s spiritually dead heart, the Holy Spirit uses that gospel to bring new life, forgiveness, righteousness, and adoption to many. In Jesus’ parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man was convinced that his brothers would repent if someone returned from the dead to warn them. But Abraham explained that if they wouldn’t believe the Scriptures they already have, they wouldn’t be persuaded even if they saw someone rise from the dead. That is because their lack of belief is not the result of a lack of evidence:

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their lack of belief is a moral problem. Their spiritually dead hearts are both unable and unwilling to believe (Eph 2:1-3), suppressing the truth as an act of rebellion toward their Creator (Rom 1:18). No amount of persuasive evidence could ever turn a heart that is willfully denying the truth. Their problem can’t be solved by human reasoning. Only the supernatural power of Christ’s gospel and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit could ever bring life to those dry bones. Nothing else can save.

What Must I Do? As much as we want to impress others, you simply cannot promote Jesus while trying to promote yourself. You have to be willing to be a fool for Christ’s sake in order to share the biblical Gospel. We must be willing to say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” (John 3:30). Ravi Zacharias is a brilliant man, but he quotes more from unbelieving authors than he ever does from the ac-

It was for this reason that Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). Pastor Cliff McManis says in his new Apologetics By The Book, “As to the content of the gospel that Paul presents in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul twice says the gospel is ‘according to the Scriptures’ [kata tas graphas] (vv. 3-4)… the saving Gospel message is found only in Scripture. Salvation in not ‘according to philosophy’ or ‘according to natural theology’ or ‘according to general revelation’… Salvation comes from the content of the gospel as delineated ‘according to the Scriptures.’ The salvation message is confined exclusively to the Bible, solely to the message about Christ’s life, death, burial and resurrection as stated in the New Testament. So, there is no salvation apart from the gospel of Jesus as stated in the Bible. The gospel ‘according to the Scriptures’ means the gospel is found ‘only in the Scriptures.’ This is the doctrine of Sola Scriptura.”1 Not only is Scripture sufficient for evangelism, but all of man’s wisdom contained in all other books ever written is insufficient to save even a single sinner.

tual Word of God. He calls himself an evangelist, yet he only rarely gets around to sharing the gospel. As a result, he is a highly respected and a sought-after speaker at many secular universities. But, no secular university seeks to invite a speaker who has a reputation for boldly and unblushingly sharing the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul certainly wasn’t trying to impress anyone with his own

wisdom or impressive speaking skills. Paul wasn’t concerned with what the world thought of him personally. Paul only wanted to proclaim the gospel, and to handle it well. He said to the Corinthians, When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,

lutely! Paul explained, The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was wellpleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ cru-

Scripture he had known since childhood that was able to give him the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:15). In other words, it is the Scripture (and only the Scripture) which is sufficient for a sinner’s salvation. Far from mere words, the Scripture is God’s supernatural power to save. What about us and our reputation before men? Paul says, For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God (1 Cor 1:26-29). That is us. The average Christians God has chosen are those who are not wise by the world’s standard, not mighty, not noble, but those who are considered foolish, weak, and despised by the world. We are those who are “not” that God may put to shame the wise and bring the wisdom of the world to nothing. It is not about us, and it never has been.

and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God (1 Cor 2:1-5). Did the Gospel, and even Paul himself, seem to be foolish to most of those who heard him proclaim Christ? Abso-

cified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:18, 21-24). Paul warned young Timothy, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Tim 1:8). Paul told Timothy that it was the

Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:2-3). Apart from God and His sufficient Word, what chances do we have? God expects us to stand on His Word by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, trusting that both are sufficient and all we could ever need as we proclaim His gospel. __________________

1. Cliff McManis, Apologetics By The Book (Sunnyvale, CA: GBF Press, 2017), 299-300.

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Feature

A Biblical View of Contemporary Signs and Wonders

GraceNotes | Spring 2018

Justin Peters, Evangelist and Teacher Justin Peters Ministries Is God still in the miracle business? There is an entire swath of professing Christianity that would answer that question with a resounding and enthusiastic, “Yes!” The Word-Faith and New Apostolic Reformation movements (WF/NAR) are twin movements that, though there be a bit of distinction between them, have far more in common with one another and, in fact, are today essentially melding into one. These groups both teach that there are modern day Apostles, that Christians are entitled to guaranteed physical healing and financial prosperity, and that signs and wonders are to be a normative part of the believer’s life. Though this author holds that these movements are doctrinally heretical and teach a different gospel,1 such serious concerns are beyond the scope of this article. We will focus here specifically on whether or not their claims of the continuance of modern day signs and wonders are valid. What is a Miracle? We should begin by defining exactly what is a miracle because this is a term often misunderstood and misused, even by theologically conservative believers with a high view of Scripture. A miracle is “an observable phenomenon effected by the direct operation of God’s power, an arresting deviation from the ordinary sequence of nature, a deviation calculated to beget faith-begetting awe, a divine in-breaking which authenticates a revelational agent.”2 In other words, a miracle is an act performed by God that is an indisputable change in natural law that validates one of His revelatory messengers. There is an important distinction we must make between a miracle and God’s providence. Floating ax heads, parting seas, talking donkeys, fire from Heaven, and resurrections from the dead are miracles.3 The Lord snatching Philip away (Acts 8: 39) is a miracle whereas fortuitously running into someone who lends us aid is not. A man lame for 38 years suddenly walking is a miracle (John 5:1-9), but slowly recovering from cancer is not. We should give thanks to God for sending us people to lend aid and we should give thanks when one recovers from a disease (and even when one does not recover from a disease!), but such things are not to be called miracles. Rather, they are acts of God’s good Providence. Were Miracles Common? Many have this idea that God was performing miracles all the time throughout the Bible. We think that had we been living in biblical times we would be seeing God perform one miracle after another. Such is not the case. For one, if miracles were commonplace, they would cease to be, well, mirac-

ulous. More definitively, though, is that even in biblical days miracles were quite rare. Consider this: Between Adam and Moses, about 2,500 years passed with precisely zero miracles. Then Moses and Joshua arrived and performed a dozen or so miracles. After they passed from the scene another 500 years passed with no miracles until the arrival of Elijah and Elisha who performed another handful of miracles. There then commenced another multi-century long drought of the miraculous (and of God even speaking) until the ministries of Jesus and His disciples4 who between them, for a few decades, performed many miracles. With the closing of the Apostolic age until now there has been no one who can credibly claim to perform miracles. So, for the 6,000 year or so history of mankind less than 200 of those years saw any miracles performed and only by 100 or fewer individuals. Surprised? The Purpose of Miracles Many professing Christians believe that God performs miracles today for our own benefit. If someone is sick, God desires to heal that person and would gladly do so if that person only has enough faith. The clear teaching from Scripture, however, is that God does not primarily perform miracles for the benefit of a particular individual. Rather, when God performed miracles He did so with the primary purpose of authenticating one of His messengers. The miracles of the Old Testament authenticated Moses and the prophets as coming from Yahweh and also showed Him as the one true God over pagan deities. The miracles of the New Testament authenticated Jesus as the Messiah and the Apostles as His spokesmen. Individuals certainly benefited from the healing miracles of Jesus, but these acts were always done to authenticate who He was and to affirm His divine mission to atone for sins. Jesus certainly had compassion for the sick, but their physical comfort took a distant back seat to his concern for their spiritual well-being. He knew their greatest need was not healing from sickness and disease but from sin (e.g., Matt 9:1-8). Are there Apostles Today? Given that after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into Heaven, and it was only His Apostles who performed signs and wonders,5 a crucial question to ask regarding the continuance of the Apostolic gifts is, “Are there modern day Apostles?” In order to be an Apostle a man had to meet three requirements: 1) he had to be an eye witness of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ;6 2) he had to be directly appointed by Christ to be an Apostle7 and; gbfpress.com

3) he had to be able to perform the signs and wonders of an Apostle.8

The greatest miracle, though, is not when the blind see or the lame walk; the greatest miracle is when the dead are raised, not physically, but spiritually. The greatest miracle is when God takes those who are spiritually dead in sins and makes them alive in Jesus Christ.

None of the men who saw Jesus raised from the dead are around anymore. They have all been in Heaven now for almost 2,000 years. This takes care of the first two requirements. As for the third, no one can do what the Apostles did. No one. No one today can heal the sick and raise the dead as did the Apostles. A careful reading of Scripture shows that the ability to perform signs and wonders were unique to the Apostles even in the days of Acts. Consider Acts 2:43, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place among the Apostles.” Notice that the signs and wonders were being done by the Apostles. Acts 5:12 is even more clear, “At the hands of the Apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people.” Notice the specificity and clarity of the Holy Spirit as He inspires God’s Word. The signs and wonders were being performed “at the hands of the Apostles” who were “among the people.” Signs and wonders were not being performed by Christians at large, but by the Apostles, and there are no more Apostles today. Period. Has God Changed? One of the primary arguments that believers can perform signs and wonders today is the biblical truth that God does not change.9 The reasoning is that if God did miracles in the past (which He did) and God does not change (which He doesn’t) and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (which Hebrews 13:8 states) then He should be performing miracles today with the same frequency as He did back then. But this is to fall into a logical fallacy. Using this logic, one would be compelled to say that we should still be sacrificing animals today. He required it in the Old Testament, and God does not change, so we should be doing it today. But no believer today is sacrificing animals. Why not? Did God change? No, but His revelation of Himself has progressed through the ages culminating in the Person and work of Jesus Christ (Heb 1:2-3). Jesus’ single sacrifice on the cross put an end to the need for animal sacrifices (See Hebrews 7:27, 10:1-18; 1 Peter 3:18). One of the interpretive errors made by adherents of this movement is to assume that everything that occurred in the book of Acts should be occurring for believers and the church today. If it happened in the Bible, they reason it should happen today. However, this is to confuse the descriptive with the prescriptive. In other words, even though every event recorded in the Bible happened, not everything recorded in the Bible is to be considered normative. Not everything that the Bible described is prescribed. As we’ve already mentioned, God made a donkey talk, but I sincerely hope you haven’t been seeing any talking donkeys lately. If you have then I would recommend Ephesians 5:18 as your next memory verse! Are Their Claims True? There is certainly no shortage of miraculous claims today. One would be hardpressed to watch “Christian” television networks such as TBN, Daystar, INSP, etc. for more than about ten minutes without hearing a televangelist make claims of regularly operating signs and wonders. Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California claims that gold dust and angel feathers fall from the sky in his services. Todd White, head of a ministry called “Lifestyle Christianity” can be seen on YouTube going up to people randomly on the streets and commanding them to be healed. One of his more well-known tricks is to command a person’s leg to grow about half an inch.

All of these things, though, are just that—tricks. I have researched and studied this movement and its claims for over 20 years now and can tell you that there is GraceNotes | Spring 2018

not a single verifiable case of anyone performing a genuine physical healing—much less a resurrection—as did the Apostles. No one. God is not dispensing gold dust and angels are not dropping their feathers. And if Todd White can heal people randomly on the streets then the first place he should be going to is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to heal those sick and dying children of cancer. If he can command a leg to grow then surely he can command cancer cells to die. But you won’t catch Todd White or Benny Hinn or any of the other panoply of fake miracle workers anywhere near a hospital. They can’t do what they claim they can do. They are charlatans who prey upon the poor, the sick, the desperate, the widows, and the gullible for personal financial gain. Conclusion Many in this movement accuse someone like me of not believing in the Holy Spirit, not believing in the spiritual gifts, and not believing in the power of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. I fully affirm in both the Person and regenerating, indwelling work of the Holy Spirit of God. I fully affirm that genuine believers are given the spiritual gifts of teaching, mercy, administration, exhortation, etc. (I only assert that the Apostolic gifts have ceased10). I also fully affirm that God not only can, but does physcially heal people today when it is His sovereign will to do so. But I reject the idea that anyone possesses the gift of healing as did the Apostles.

This is not a question of God not being able to heal people or perform miracles. Of course He can. God can do whatever He wants to do (Ps 135:6). The greatest miracle, though, is not when the blind see or the lame walk; the greatest miracle is when the dead are raised, not physically, but spiritually. The greatest miracle is when God takes those who are spiritually dead in sins and makes them alive in Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom 1:16).” Want to see the real power of God unleashed? Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ!

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1. For more information on the cultic origins of these movements and documentation on their doctrinal heresies, see my DVD entitled Clouds Without Water available at www.justinpeters.org. 2. Everett F. Harrison, ed., Baker’s Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1960), 356. 3. Floating ax head (2 Kings 6); Red Sea parting (Exodus 14); Talking donkey (Genesis 22); Fire from Heaven (1 Kings 18; 2 Kings 1); Resurrections from the dead (1 Kings 17; 2 Kings 4; Luke 7; John 11; Acts 20; Jesus’ resurrection recorded in all 4 Gospels and referenced many times throughout the New Testament). 4. Luke 7; John 11; Acts 20; Jesus’ resurrection recorded in all 4 Gospels and referenced many times throughout the New Testament. 5. This would include the 72 disciples commissioned by Jesus as recorded in Luke 10. 6. The only two exceptions would be Steven (Acts 6) and Philip (Acts 8) who were close associates with the Apostles. 7. Acts 1:22, 10:38-41; 1 Corinthians 9:1, 15:7-9; Matthew 10:1-7, Acts 1:24-26, Galatians 1:1. 8. 2 Corinthians 12:12. 9. This biblical truth is referred to as the “immutablity” of God. 10. The Apostolic gifts, or, “sign gifts,” to which they are also referred, include the gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles, and physical healing.

For more information go to friendsofrealoptoins.net

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Feature

The Sufficiency of Scripture for Apologetics Cliff McManis Elder, Pastor-Teacher at GBF

God’s Word is sufficient! That is what God has claimed and His followers have maintained since the beginning of time. This is the doctrine of “Biblical Sufficiency.” It means that God has revealed adequate information to His people, at any given point in history, to enable them to live a life that pleases Him while also meeting all of their needs as people made in His image. For us today that means the 66 books of the Bible are sufficient for us—Scripture contains everything required for us to live a godly, fulfilling life as God intended. As religious and spiritual beings, we don’t need extra or ongoing divine revelation apart from the Bible. Today in the world and in the church, biblical sufficiency is under attack. Unbelievers say, “Your Bible doesn’t cut it!” And even Christians are saying, “We need something more.” It’s very sad; but this should not surprise us. Biblical sufficiency has been under at-

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tack for 6,000 years, since the beginning. In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve everything they needed to know—what to eat, what to stay away from, how to work (Gen 1-2). But then Satan came in and questioned the sufficiency of God’s Word (Gen 3:5), convincing Adam and Eve that they needed to know more than God had revealed. And as a result they plunged all of humanity into the Fall by dismissing sufficiency. Rejecting or undermining biblical sufficiency ushers in dire consequences. During the giving of the Law, the Israelites rejected the sufficiency of God’s written Word as given by Moses when they invented their own ways of doing religion and worshiping God...like when they built a golden calf (Exod 32). Later in the dark days of the Judges, once again the Israelites did not hold to scriptural sufficiency, but put aside God’s written Law for counter-

feit alternatives in false religion and idolatry. And as a result, “The anger of the LORD burned against Israel” (Judges 2:14). Early in church history, many professing believers spurned biblical sufficiency and supplanted it with man-made religion and superstition. It has resulted in false religion that gave us deviant doctrines like purgatory, Mary worship, transubstantiation, mandatory celibacy, and more. We need to guard against the never-ending tide of false religion and so-called human wisdom that threatens pure biblical sufficiency. Biblical sufficiency is taught and modeled all throughout Scripture, but two foundational passages are 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:3. Second Timothy 3 says that all Scripture came directly from God and is fully sufficient to make a believer “adequate, equipped for every good work” (v. 17). Some Bibles translate the word “adequate” here with the

word “complete” which is perfectly legitimate. Scripture has the power to make a believer “complete” in every area of life and service to God! That is sufficiency. Second Peter 1:3 affirms this truth as it says that God has granted believers “everything pertaining to life and godliness.” Through salvation, which is based on Scripture and defined by Scripture, Christians have “everything” they need to live this life the way God expects. God’s Word, which is supernatural and alive, is sufficient for every Christian in how they live and how they do ministry. That is God’s promise and decree. I believe this biblical sufficiency is being undermined today by Christians in three areas of life and ministry: preaching, counseling and in apologetics. In this article I want to show how Scripture is sufficient for the work of apologetics, despite the common practice of many who say otherwise. “Apologetics” is from the compound Greek word apologia, apo (back) + logia (to answer). To give an apologia is to “give an answer back” to someone who asks a question. In the New Testament it usually refers to the way a Christian responds to an unbeliever about faith in Jesus. The classic New Testament verse for this is 1 Peter 3:15 which says, “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense [apologia] to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” The Apostle Peter exhorts believers to always be ready to respond to unbelievers with a word of defense. And the content of that defense is supposed to be an explanation of “the hope” that is in us. What is the “hope” of every Christian? Scripture is clear: our only hope is salvation, the forgiveness of sin, eternal life and resurrection from the dead in Jesus Christ—there is no other hope. Jesus is the only hope. Or

as Paul said to the Colossians, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27). That is what we are to defend and tell unbelievers when they ask. Unfortunately in the evangelical world it is commonplace for self-proclaimed professional Christian apologists to distort this simple truth about how we are to apply 1 Peter 3:15. A counterfeit alternative has been raised and championed in its place. Typical high-profile Christian apologists today say that when we speak to the world we can’t just use the Bible as we talk about Jesus—the only hope for a lost world. Why? They tell us, “Unbelievers don’t believe the Bible, so we need to start with something else to woo them closer to the truth and gain their trust. After we have their trust, then we can use the Bible.”

Jesus’ first resort was to written Scripture when defending His faith. He knew God’s special revelation was adequate.

If we don’t use the Bible when we first talk to unbelievers, then what should we use? We are told, “We need to use the laws of logic, science, philosophy, archaeology, common sense, history, cosmology, Darwinian evolution, naturalism, natural theology...” and so on the suggestions go. But whatever you do, simple-minded Christian, “Don’t just use the Bible!” So the expert Christian apologists tell us. But this thinking is wrong-headed, ineffectual and misleading. Defending the faith, or doing apologetics, without the Bible is completely unwarranted. Christian—

when you do your apologetics, use your Bible! God will honor that and bless your ministry if you do. The Bible is sufficient for your work of apologetics. There are many reasons why that is so, but I’ll just share a few of the most obvious and important ones. When Jesus did the work of apologetics He always used divine revelation— in the form of truth He was speaking from the Father of truth He got from the Old Testament. In other words, Jesus believed in Scriptural sufficiency when He engaged in any type of ministry. For example, Jesus’ view of Scripture clearly implies this. In Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus said He came to fulfill the entire Old Testament and He promised that “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away” from the Old Testament until “all” of it is accomplished. Jesus had the highest view of written Scripture. He maintained its ultimate inspiration, authority, inerrancy and sufficiency. In addition to Jesus’ high view of Scripture is the model of how He used Scripture when He engaged in apologetics with critics, inquisitors and unbelievers. One of Jesus’ favorite phrases when engaged with critics was, “It is written,” and then He would quote Scripture as the final authority on the topic under discussion (cf. Matt 4:4; Mark 7:6; John 6:45). For Jesus, the written Bible had the sufficient answer. Another common phrase Jesus used in apologetics was, “Have you not read” (Matt 19:4) or something similar: “Did you never read in the Scriptures” (Matt 21:42), or “What did Moses command you?” (Mark 10:3). There are many more examples that could be given, but these suffice to show that Jesus’ first resort was to written Scripture when defending His faith or true religion. He knew God’s special revelation was adequate. In addition to the example of Jesus is the Apostle Paul, whose thirty-plus years of ministry in evangelism and gbfpress.com

apologetics was marked by a consistent commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture. This is most obvious in the Book of Acts. Everywhere Paul went critics, skeptics and the curious would ask Paul about the “hope” that was within him. Every time he responded, the gospel of Christ as expounded in Scripture was front and center. This is clear when he gives his apologia on six different occasions to defend his faith. In each instance, Paul emphasizes the good news of Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection (cf. Acts 22-26). Paul did not resort to human philosophy in an attempt to pacify the Gentile pagans before using Scripture. He did not default to human wisdom, formal rhetoric, classical debate, or natural theology to win the naysayers over. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 Paul explicitly rejects all forms of non-biblical rhetoric when it came to spiritual ministry. He gave sole allegiance to biblically revealed truth as found in the gospel. As such, he could declare as his motto: “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God...we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:18, 23). And similarly in Galatians he hailed, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which

the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (6:14). Fellow Christian, you can trust your Bible just as Jesus and Paul did. Scripture is God’s thoughts and God’s will put in writing, for our benefit and God’s glory. The Bible is supernatural food for our souls. It is living and active, able to accomplish all that God has intended. It never returns void. Your whole Bible comes from the very mind of God and is able to make you completely mature and fulfilled as a Christian. It contains all the resources needed for living day to day and for doing ministry—including apologetics, the ministry of defending the faith and proclaiming the gospel. Unbelievers are blinded supernaturally by their own sin and the deception of Satan (2 Cor 4:1-6). Only a supernatural remedy can overcome those two barriers. Only the Bible, which contains the gospel, has the power to override supernatural sinful blindness and Satanic deception. All human means will prove futile. The Bible is sufficient and Paul said it best when he proclaimed, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).

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Preaching the Gospel of Christ

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ESSAY

Religious Persecution in India: The Effects on Christ to India Ministry and Its Pastors Bob Douglas Elder and Executive Pastor at GBF India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, came into office in 2014. Today he openly speaks of India becoming a Hindu nation before his reelection in 2019. These statements have sparked regular violence across India through several Hindu nationalist groups such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Sangh Parivar, and Vishva Hindu Parishad, igniting a cultural war with religion at its core. Open violence is becoming more commonplace even among Hindus not associated with a nationalist group, as they promote Hinduism and forcibly intimidate Indian Christians and members of other minority religions. Below are just a few headlines highlighting this development. A 2016 report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states that religious tolerance and religious freedom continued to deteriorate in India in 2016. “Hindu nationalist groups and their sympathizers perpetrated numerous incidents of intimidation, harassment, and violence against religious minority communities.” The report also blames police and judicial bias and inadequacies that “have created a pervasive climate of impunity in which religious minorities feel increasingly insecure and have no recourse when religiously motivated crimes occur.”1

only Syria, Nigeria and Iraq, all places where sectarian violence is widespread.”3 Prayer is needed for all Christians and pastors in India. Pastor Johnpaul of Christ to India (CTI) has explained that in past decades verbal assault was minor and rare; even more rare was physical violence. Now both are regular occurrences, even in rural regions of the country. Although violence can afflict the members of any minority religion when the cultural setting strongly favors a majority religion, Johnpaul explains that such persecution in India mostly affects religious leaders. For CTI, this means that Christian pastors are the most likely recipients of harassment and violence. “Persecution is now all over India and has steadily increased since 2014 when Modi came into office. Many of our pastors have experienced violence person-

A recent article in US News and World Report states that India’s “leading educational institutions face drastic cuts in resources and shrinking space for intellectual and religious freedom.”2 Ananya Bhattacharya reporting on a 2016 Pew Research Report states, “India historically touts itself as a secular state, one where all religions are recognized and can peacefully co-exist. Well, at least in theory, it is. Unfortunately, the reality is much different. An April 11, 2017 Pew Research Center analysis of 198 countries ranked India as fourth worst in the world for religious intolerance. In the country of 1.3 billion, the incidence of hostility related to religion trailed

6 Pastors tasked with evangelizing villiages along with Johnpaul, Isaac, Pastor Willams and Pastor Douglas

ally.” Fortunately, to date, the CTI pastors have endured only verbal assaults and a few instances of pushing and shoving. But most who are familiar with the politico-religious tensions are concerned for these pastors. These stories validate reports that persecution has spread beyond the major popugbfpress.com

lations centers and into rural India as well. Johnpaul believes the pastors most at risk are those who evangelize in villages that have no Christian presence. Six CTI pastors regularly evangelize in unchurched villages. Pastor Dave Witt and I had the pleasure of meeting with these pastors and praying for them at last November’s Pastors’ Conference. The eight pastors were Pastor G. Isaac, Pastor V. Prasad, Pastor M. Babu Rao, Pastor D. Chennaiah, Pastor P. Yacobu and Pastor D. John, and of course Pastor Isaac and Pastor Johnpaul.

Modi has a three-step formula for ridding India of its minority religions that he has implemented along with violence against adherents of these religions. Step 1: Stop Money In 2016, India’s government took deliberate steps to stop the flow of money from Christian organizations into India. This action was designed specifically to eliminate Christianity from the country. One of the best examples is Compassion International. On March 15, 2017, after 48 years of feeding and serving India’s poor and starving children, Compassion International, India’s largest foreign aid group (bringing in $45 million annually) was forced to leave the country. Compassion had to close down 589 development centers staffed by Indian workers and halting the care of 145,000 children. So far this financial shut down has not affected CTI’s operations, but it is something that could be just around the corner and could have devastating effects on CTI’s mission.

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Step 2: Stop Employment Many areas of India are some of the poorest in the world. The area where CTI is located is one of those regions. Seventy percent of the working population cannot find full-time work. Most people have part-time jobs and do their best to make ends meet. Joseph, Johnpaul’s cousin, who drives us and helps us when we travel through India, is a reporter for the local newspaper. But his position only pays 15-20 hours a week. There have also been a number of employment oddities due to pressure from the nationalist groups. The political rumor-mill says Modi is moving to make In-

dia a Hindu-only work force, requiring employers to only hire Hindus for mid-level to high-level jobs. The nationalist groups are out in front already pushing employers in this direction. If the rumors are true, this would be another chokehold on Christians that will push them out of what is an already extremely difficult job market. Step 3: Stop Proselytizing Informally, Prime Minister Modi is encouraging Hindus to act out against all other religions. He also encourages the judicial branch of the government to oppose all other religions and not give them equal footing with Hinduism. Formally, Modi is stopping the flow of money from Christian organizations. Some say he is taking steps to hamper employment of Christians in the work place, and now Modi and his political party are working to enact a national anti-conversion law which would make any proselytizing illegal. This kind of restriction is not new to India. In the late 1930s and 1940s under British rule, six of India’s twen-

ty-nine states created such laws to stand against the Protestant missionaries hailing from Britain. Penalties included both fines and jail time. After India’s Independence in 1954, there were attempts to create national level anti-conversion laws, but these laws never passed and the state laws have been fairly dormant.

Graphs and Information Published by Pew Reasearch 2015 and 2016 Reports

Pew Research Center analysis of 198 countries ranked India as fourth worst in the world for religious intolerance But Since Modi’s election, pressure is building: several more states have passed anti-conversion laws, others are considering it, and the Modi government wants to have a unified national anti-conversion law. In general, these laws seek to prevent any person from converting or attempting to convert a person from Hinduism to any other religion, including Christianity. It is acceptable, however, to convert a person from another religion to Hinduism. According to Johnpaul, this helps to fuel vigilante violence. From his perspective, it is only a matter of time before a national law will be in place. When I saw the Pew Research numbers and the ranking of India as the world’s fourth most religiously intolerant nation, I was surprised. But after seeing all that is happening in this country, it is much clearer as to why this is the case. Please pray for the CTI pastors, their churches, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our time to financially help India may soon be over, but we will continue training the pastors as we hold on to what we know: He will not leave us or forsake us (Deut 31:6).

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1. “India Chapter – 2017 Annual Report,” The United States Commision on Religious Freedom, http://www.uscirf.gov/reports-briefs/annual-report-chapters-and-summaries/india-chapter-2017-annual-report. Acessed January 13, 2018. 2. Aftab Alam, “Intolerance Threatens India’s Universities,” US News and World Report, April 10, 2017, https://www.usnews.com/news/ best-countries/articles/2017-04-10/growing-intolerance-threatens-open-debate-in-indias-universities. Accessed January 13, 2018. 3. Ananya Bhattacharya, “India is the fourth-worst country in the world for religious violence, Quartz, April 14, 2017 https://qz.com/959802/ india-is-the-fourth-worst-country-in-the-world-for-religious-violence/. Accessed January 13, 2018.

The Social Hostilities Index looks at 13 indicators including crimes motivated by religious hatred, mob violence related to religion, communal violence, religion-related terrorist groups, using force to prevent religious groups from operating, the harassment of women for ‘violating’ religious dress codes and violence over conversion or proselytising.

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Testimonies of Grace | Discovering God’s Sovereignty

Oluwasanya Awe, Member of GBF

Sovereignty and the Grace of God in Christ “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You” (Isa 26:3). This text from Isaiah’s song of praise captures my confidence in the God I know and serve. As a preacher once put it, “The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.” Like a son seeking solace in his father, I have learned to thrust my weary self upon God with the firm assurance that He is sovereign over every detail of my life. When I’m faced with injustice, I’m reminded that the Lord knows the way of the righteous (Ps 1:6). In the midst of hardship, God has taught me through His Word that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from His knowledge (Matt 10:29). When I’m blessed with answered prayer, I know that every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17). Writing this testimony has reminded me of the immeasurable blessing that comes from knowing God through Christ and even better, from being known by God (John 1:18; Gal 4:9). Raised in a Biblical Church I was born and raised in Lagos, a dense and cosmopolitan state in Nigeria. Despite Lagos’ diversity, most people, regardless of upbringing, believed in the existence of a supreme being. In the 16 years I lived there, I do not recall ever meeting a professing atheist. The ease of practicing religion in Lagos meant that “Christianity” could become more about outward expressions—like mere profession of faith and churchgoing—than about a living relationship with the God of the Bible. By God’s grace, the church I grew up in was, for the most part, theologically sound. My Sunday School teachers were committed to teaching all of Scripture and there were regular calls to repent and believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. From a young age, I was aware of hell, the justice of God

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and my need for repentance and faith in Christ. Yet, I had never soberly examined myself against Scripture to know if I was in a right relationship with God. Despite my frequent exposure to God’s Word, my eyes were veiled from seeing God’s glory in the gospel (2 Cor 4:4). To worsen my condition, the culture around Christianity allowed me to profess faith in Jesus without possessing evidence of my salvation (cf. James 2:18-26). Attended a Roman Catholic Secondary School My spiritual blindness was most revealed when I was transferred to a Roman Catholic secondary boarding school. My school was strict by any standard and I tried my best to live blameless under its regulations. Each day, we communally participated in mandatory morning prayers (lauds), Mass and evening prayers (vespers). We regularly prayed the rosary, pleaded for the intercession of “saints” and celebrated the notable events in the Catholic liturgical calendar. Self-deceived, I tried to work up enough righteousness to separate myself as “the obedient boy.” I never skipped Mass, I faithfully participated in lauds and vespers, attentively prayed through the Rosary, attended confessions before the priest and remained consistent in my private devotions. Although I was known among my peers for my apparent piety, I could not twist God’s arm into accepting my deeds. Being ignorant of my sinfulness, I tried to honor God with my lips while my heart was far from Him (Isa 29:13). The inevitable consequence of this form of religion was that I tried to deal with God on man-made terms. Like Nadab and Abihu, I was offering strange fire to God (Lev 10:1-3). I was seeking a right relationship with Him outside of the only way He provided—repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone. Even when I thought I had put my trust in Christ and understood what the Christian faith required, I could not have any assurance that I was truly saved as I still submitted

to the Catholic teachings at school. Found Better Clarity on the Gospel In God’s providence, I was accepted to study at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) in South Africa upon graduating from secondary school. A friend in ALA introduced me to a well-known American prosperity preacher. This preacher perverted the grace of God and distorted His Word to present a palatable gospel of health and wealth. Being unable to discern “right” from “almost right,” I fell for his deception and actively consumed this preacher’s content. My pastor at ALA eventually learned about this and graciously advised me against listening to this prosperity preacher. It was through my pastor and other preachers he recommended that I began to learn what it meant to be justified through faith alone. While I’m not sure when I got

saved, it was around this time that I developed better clarity on the gospel. At the end of my time at ALA, I got the opportunity to study here in the US. During my freshman year, I struggled to understand God’s Word on homosexuality in particular. On campus, there was a good deal of equivocation on what God’s Word said and it was through searching for biblical teaching on this matter that I came across a coalition of preachers who believed in the sovereignty of God. Discovered the Sovereignty of God That year, I spent my summer interning in Mauritius and it was there that I was brought low upon seeing the Sovereign God. One evening after work, as I was going through Paul’s theodicy in Romans 9, I was taken aback by his presentation of the sovereignty of God over His creatures and God’s right to show or withold mercy as He desired (Rom 9:15, 22-23). It was at this point I felt most alive. I remember sitting at the dining table in my apartment thinking, “Why me?” God, being sovereign over all, had the freedom to do whatever He pleased. He would have been just if He condemned me to suffer His wrath, yet He chose to save me. The thought that God was under no obligation whatsoever to act in mercy towards a sinner like me was pride-shattering. It felt like I had begun to taste and see the goodness

of the Lord (Ps 34:8) and I wanted to know Him more and show others this great God of grace. From that evening, I began to see God’s Word in a new light and developed a passion for seeking Him and sharing the good news of His grace. Struggled with Zeal In my zeal, I began to act contrary to Paul’s mandate to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:24. I became contentious and was often too harsh in my criticism when I confronted the leadership of the Christian fellowship I attended at that time. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty became a bat with which to smack people in the head. As a consequence, I fell out of a close relationship with a good friend, unfairly questioned the salvation of others, and became known as a troublemaker. I also struggled with my assurance. I questioned my salvation and the genuineness of my repentance as I saw more of my sin and became too critical of myself. I, essentially, had no wisdom on living in light of the knowledge I received. Learned Balance in a New Church Towards the end of my sophomore year, I chose to leave my Christian fellowship in the best interest of both parties. In my search for a new fellowship, I sought out a group with a high view of God and His Word. I was encouraged by a friend to visit Grace Campus Ministries (GCM) and I started regularly attending the GCM events and services at Grace Bible Fellowship (GBF). I thank God for GBF’s commitment to the holistic development of believers. God has faithfully worked through the preaching of His Word and exhortation from the believers around to expose my sin and He has taught me to patiently wait on Him in the process. Learning from more mature believers, I have come to understand that the biblical view of God’s sovereignty is not merely a proposition to be defended but a sublime truth to find rest in when I am going through trials, sharing the gospel or interceding for a lost friend. Through God’s Word, I have come to learn that I was dead in sin, living hostile to God and unable to please Him. But through the cross, God cancelled the record of debt laid up against me and adopted me into His family (Gal 4:4-7; Eph 2:1-10; Col 2:13-15). Without His free electing grace, I would still be without hope and without God, storing up wrath in my sin (Rom 2:5; Eph 2:12-13). Therefore, the only accurate response to this great salvation I have received is awe and worship, giving my whole being as a living sacrifice to God who saved me (Rom 12:1). gbfpress.com

Feature

The Sufficiency of Scripture for Counseling J. R. Cuevas Elder, Associate Pastor at GBF I was once approached by a Christian couple who asked me to do their pre-marital counseling. They had found my name on the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors website. As they were currently involved in another local church in the area, I asked them why they didn’t request counseling from their pastor who was going to officiate their wedding. Their response (which I paraphrased below) shocked me: We asked our pastor, and he said that he loved us too much, and that the issues we were dealing with as a couple were beyond what he could address as a pastor…so he suggested we get professional psychiatric help for pre-marital counseling. The dilemma that this couple faced is

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but a microcosm of the current philosophy that has pervaded the Western approach to the broader area of counseling. Many Americans believe that the issues they face in life, ranging from depression to alcohol addiction and everything in between, can only be addressed by professional psychologists and psychiatrists. Even those in the mainstream evangelical community would rather seek help from professional Christian counselors or “therapists” than their pastors. Part of the reason is because many evangelical pastors would themselves claim to be ill-equipped to address those so-called “issues of life.” This stems from a faulty view of Scripture. In particular, it is indicative of a faulty view of the sufficiency of Scripture. In a recent Sunday Night Seminar I taught on the topic of Biblical Coun-

seling. I shared that one of the most essential convictions for those who desire to counsel in the church is a firm belief in the sufficiency of Scripture. No matter how gifted a man may be in the area of counseling, he will never counsel as God intends unless he is convicted that the Scriptures are sufficient for matters relating to life and godliness. A man may be compassionate and emphatic. He may be a good listener and a sharp discerner of character. But unless he is certain that the Scriptures are sufficient in counseling, he will inevitably fail to counsel as God intends. Clarity is necessary before moving forward. To say that the Scriptures are sufficient does not mean that the Bible has explicit instruction for every facet of life under the sun. For instance, when I’m tutoring students in

the subject of calculus, I don’t use the Bible; I use a calculus textbook. When I need to get my car’s oil changed, I don’t open up the Bible; I bring it to Jiffy Lube. The Bible itself claims that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (cf. Rom 14:17), meaning that God did not author Scripture with the intent of making rules or giving practical answers to every single facet of life. Rather, it is about righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. I’ve witnessed people claim that the Bible makes rules in areas that it actually doesn’t. This is an equally dangerous error of over-spiritualization, and it can lead to legalism. One must be wary of trying to make the Bible say what it doesn’t. The Westminster Confession of Faith defines the sufficiency of Scripture in this way: “The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men” (WCF, I:6). To say that Scripture is sufficient is to say that Scripture is adequate to address every area related to life, godliness, and righteousness. The Bible itself claims to be sufficient in these areas. Psalm 19:7-8 states that Scripture restores the soul, gives wisdom to the simple, brings joy to the heart, and enlightens the eyes. Scripture, then, has the power to enable a man to live life to the fullest, live life joyfully, live wisely and knowledgeably, and live life with the proper perspective. Perhaps the most well-known passage on the sufficiency of Scripture is 2 Timothy 3:15-17, which states that Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. In other words, Scripture itself claims to be sufficient to equip the man of God to live in accordance to the will of God. Failing to believe in the sufficiency

of Scripture inevitably leads to undesirable consequences. If someone is not convinced that the Bible is able to address every area of life related to faith, righteousness, and godliness, he will resort to alternative authorities who are insufficient to address important spiritual issues. He may resort to personal experiences or cultural traditions. He may resort to pragmatism or personal preferences. He may resort to human authorities or modern psychological theories. He may resort to a number of things that ultimately are not adequate to fully train a man on righteousness—something that only Scripture can do. And when he leans on such alternatives rather than Scripture to both interpret and navigate through life, he is doomed for failure. This is where most evangelicals are, if

Failing to believe in the sufficiency of Scripture inevitably leads to undesirable consequences. they are honest with themselves. Ask any given man or woman in the church where he or she extracts the principles that govern the majority of his decision-making on various areas in life, and they will likely not reference Scripture. It’s sad, but it’s true. To hold to the sufficiency of Scripture, then, is not so much about believing the accuracy of what the Bible teaches, but rather believing in the breadth and depth of life topics that the Bible addresses. In Reformed circles, Christians readily acknowledge that the Bible gives instruction regarding major systematic theological topics such as the deity and humanity of Christ, the cessation or continuation of the signs gifts, the eschatological timeline of events, God’s election of His people, and so forth. But even in such

circles, Christians don’t always turn to the Bible for perspective and instruction regarding depression, ADHD, the role of parents in the lives of adult offspring, career pursuits, physical intimacy, gender and sexual orientation, the role of physical exercise in life, educational pursuits, financial budgeting, and politics. The Bible, in truth, addresses all—yes all—of these areas either explicitly or implicitly. These are the areas that govern the majority of Christian living. If someone desires to live rightly before God in all facets of life, he must first be convinced that God has something to say about all facets of life. To hold to the sufficiency of Scripture is also about believing that the Bible addresses not only every area in life; it also equips the man of God to address every group of people in life. It is Scripture that the pastor must use to counsel senior citizens as well as teenagers. It is Scripture that the pastor must use to exhort both single adults and married couples. It is Scripture that the pastor must employ to address the struggles of life experienced by both men and women, leaders and laymen. It’s something that I know to be true both biblically and experientially. Be well-versed and competent in the Scripture and you will have the wisdom to effectively counsel both the seventeen-year-old high school jock as well as his seventy-year old grandmother. So whatever happened to that engaged couple I mentioned earlier? Long story short, my wife and I agreed to do their pre-marital counseling. And it turned out, none of the issues they were dealing with—issues their pastor claimed needed psychiatric intervention—were beyond the reach of Scripture. So we addressed them all…with Scripture. The two are happily married now and well-equipped to handle all of the different quagmires on the horizon—not because we were such great counselors, but because Scripture is sufficient to counsel! gbfpress.com

Reflections | The Value of Pre-marital Counseling Elijah and Breanna Paniagua, Members of GBF, Breanna is an Associate Editor of Grace Elijah Pre-marital counseling? Are we going through a rough patch already? When Breanna told me that we were going to have regular sessions with the pastor officiating our wedding (Derek Brown) and his wife (Amy) to go over marriage and all that it entails, I was confused. In my experience, counseling was reserved for people with problems—those who needed to be fixed or who had something in their lives that needed to be fixed. In truth, that assumption was not far off from reality. It took just a few sessions of the real, undistorted truth on marriage to show me that we were indeed broken and have many things that will always need to be fixed. We are, after all, imperfect sinners. Even if we make each other better and point each other to Christ, in light of the holiness of God, each shortcoming is enough to condemn us to hell. With these things in mind, it can quickly become overwhelming to stop and consider all of the various things out there in the world that can condemn a marriage—much the same as our sins condemn us. That’s where the counseling comes in. In a world full of snares and traps that can ruin a person’s life or marriage beyond repair, there is hope through Christ. As Derek and Amy walked us through a book titled, Preparing for Marriage God’s Way, by Wayne R. Mack, it became strikingly clear that the only hope for two sinners to come together and glorify God with their relationship was to have Him be at the center of it. We took turns speaking to each other about our faults, our strengths, our opinions, and our aspirations for the future. It almost seemed that at every corner there was something new that neither of us had ever stopped to think about or consider the implications of. Our sessions often ended in a long, difficult conversation on the drive back from the Brown’s home and more than a few disagreements. This, however, was exactly what the point seemed to be. In order to fulfill a faithful, Christ-centered marriage covenant, one must be prepared and stop to consider all of these things that we were going over—such as the importance of discipline for our future children, or the way we were going to handle our money, or what our priorities are as a unit and team. Every time we had a disagreement or long conversation, the conclusion always seemed to bring about a deep peace and connection that helped us to build a better understanding of each other. We were growing closer together in Christ in our relationship and the catalyst at the root of all of it was the regular meetings we were having with Derek and Amy who let

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us (mostly me) talk their ears off long past their normal bed time. In truth, the counseling we received has prepared us for a long, happy, Christ-centered marriage, which is the only kind of marriage that can stand in a broken world with things that always need to be fixed—like Breanna and me. I suppose it took us extending ourselves out of our comfort zone and digging into all those cans of worms to see this truth. Thank God for that pre-marital counseling! Breanna When I first got engaged to my now-husband, Elijah, in April of 2016, pre-marital counseling was one of the last things on my mind. I knew that we would be meeting with Derek and Amy over the course of our engagement and going through a book on biblical marriage, but my mind was preoccupied with all things wedding day. Like many young women, I had a Pinterest board dedicated to all things wedding, complete with ideas for various floral arrangements, color palettes, and wedding dresses I had my eye on. But I had no Pinterest board or planner dedicated to my life after the wedding day, because, quite frankly, it can be all too easy to forget about that part in all the hustle, bustle, and excitement of preparing for a wedding. It was only after our first meeting with Derek and Amy a couple of months after our engagement that I was struck with the realization of how little I knew about what I was getting into. How would Elijah and I endure future trials together? How would I encourage him in the Lord? How would we work through conflict with one another? If God were to bless us with children, how would we raise them? These were the sorts of questions, along with many others, we had to work through during our ten premarital sessions over the course of a year. Even though we used a great Christian book on marriage during our sessions, our meetings were always centered around God’s Word and finding answers to difficult questions from both the wisdom of a godly couple and directly in the Scriptures. Now that Elijah and I have gone through pre-marital counseling and have been happily married for over six months, I can say without a doubt that meeting with a godly married couple for pre-marital counseling should be a priority for any engaged Christian couple. Below are just a few reasons why I believe pre-marital counseling is so valuable for believers who are looking to be married.

Pre-marital counseling offers direct and regular accountability Christians are sinners, too, and this reality is often more apparent when you have to share your weaknesses and sinful tendencies with other believers. But the beauty of pre-marital counseling is the regular and loving accountability of another believing couple that encourages growth in these areas. Pre-marital counseling offers wise and godly outside counsel When Elijah and I got engaged, I was 22 and he was 21. Even though we were believing adults, we were still young, naïve, and often immature in our thinking. Through our meetings with Derek and Amy, we were both able to garner biblical and sound wisdom from an older couple that had gone through the same types of things we had gone through. Oftentimes, conflict in marriage arises from wrong or uninformed thinking about seemingly mundane matters such as finances or holiday traditions or how you fold the bathroom towels. It was wonderful to talk through these matters with a godly couple who helped us grow in our thinking about subjects we had not necessarily thought about before. Pre-marital counseling is edifying for all those involved Elijah and I both grew tremendously in our faith and love for one another during our time in pre-marital counseling. Each session was grounded in God’s Word, and after each session

we would pray for our future marriage. We were challenged, uplifted, encouraged, and edified after every meeting, and it was wonderful to hear that Derek and Amy were also edified in their own marriage during our counseling sessions. Pre-marital counseling is fun! While some subjects are certainly harder to talk about than others, Elijah and I had a lot of fun during our time in pre-marital counseling. We watched funny YouTube videos on marriage, shared goofy stories about how we started dating, took several quizzes in which we graded one another on skills such as organization and singing voice, and even ate some delicious homemade cake that Amy prepared for us! It really was a blessed time of fun and fellowship for us, and I’m so thankful for the time we were able to share with one another during each meeting. Looking back, I can confidently say that our time spent in pre-marital counseling was one of the most valuable experiences Elijah and I had ever gone through together. The book of Proverbs is bursting with verses about the importance of seeking out and listening to wise counsel, but Proverbs 19:20-21 is what comes to mind when I think about how Christ-centered pre-marital counseling can affect an engaged couple’s future marriage: “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” gbfpress.com

Book Review

by Matthew Barret

Derek Brown Elder, Associate Pastor at GBF Even at 374 pages, Matthew Barrett’s, God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture, is a unique confluence of concision, breadth, and depth. I am grateful that God equips men with such theological skill and calls them to use their gifts for the benefit of the church. My heart resonates with Robert Yarbrough who, in his endorsement, called this book “a feast.”

but I only want to draw our attention to three: (1) the clarity of Scripture; (2) the importance of inerrancy, and (3) the connection between inerrancy and authority.

For the last five decades, evangelicals have wrestled with the past and with one another over what constitutes a true evangelical doctrine of Scripture. Over the last eight years, I’ve had the privilege of studying some of this history and even wading into the present discussion. It’s become painfully clear that the disagreement among evangelicals over how to understand Scripture’s authority, inerrancy, inspiration, and clarity has only intensified over the last two decades, and there is no immediate indication that the clamor of controversy will soon quiet to a din of discussion (present attempts at dialogue notwithstanding). But the devil has again been outwitted, for controversy always gives rise to clarity. God will continue to use theologians committed to God’s Word and the Reformation’s formal principle of sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) to produce doctrinal works that have been sharpened by constant engagement with error to edify the church with life-sustaining truth. Barrett’s effort most-recent effort will, I trust, serve the church for many years to come. An Immensely Helpful Book Even though this book is long by most standards, I recommend it to all Christians who are interested in better understanding the authority, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture and how these doctrines took shape before, during, and after the Reformation. Your faith in and appreciation for God’s Word will grow as you see for yourself how the Bible speaks of its own inerrancy and sufficiency, and how the true church has defended these truths over two millennia. There are countless points in the book we could examine,

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The Clarity of Scripture One of the first things we must say about God’s Word is that it is clear. That is not to say that every part of Scripture is easy to understand; nor do we mean that clarity precludes sustained exegetical effort to grasp the meaning of the text. But we must always keep in mind that God has spoken for a specific reason: to communicate with His people and draw

us into a relationship with Him. To undermine the clarity of Scripture, therefore, is to undermine the very purpose that God gave us His written Word. Our minds, though fallen, do not, by necessity, keep us from understanding what God has communicated. Barrett comments, God and his universe can be and are known. From the beginning, God did not endow man with reason and sense that obstruct, distort, or blockade knowledge of him and his world; instead, they serve as the very means God uses to bring us to a knowledge of the truth (141).

be lost when evangelical non-inerrantists argue that disposing of inerrancy will actually free us to better trust God. Such reasoning simply does not square with reality. Barrett continues: I cannot stress this enough: apart from the veracity of his divine revelation, we have nothing to stand upon, for the foundation of our faith has been removed. No longer can we know whether or not our God has spoken to us truthfully (273n32).

Lose inerrancy, and you will soon lose stability in your reFurthermore, it is God’s purpose of communication with lationship with God. Slowly and perhaps imperceptibly; but His people that determined how He would provide His writsurely, over time. Of course, many of those who are presten Word. The Bible is not a compendium of abstract philently drifting further out into the sea of uncertainty claim osophical musings only a few intellectual to really like the view and revel in the adelites can handle. No, God’s Word is givventure, arguing that inerrancy limits their en to all people. hermeneutical freedom and stunts their Even though this spiritual growth. But it’s only those who are book is long by [Scripture] comes to us in plain lanfirmly anchored who can see the approachmost standards, I guage, for God used ordinary individing storm and impending danger. As the uals, under the superintendence of the expression goes, time and truth go handrecommend it to all Holy Spirit, to bring about exactly what in-hand. Many of those who are throwing Christians who are he intended to say to his people. God had inerrancy overboard are also ready to be rid interested in better a purpose behind the delivery of Scripof other vital doctrines. understanding the ture, that his people might be instructed in his ways (304; see also 307). authority, inerrancy, The Connection Between Inerrancy and Authority and sufficiency God created our minds, our physical facFinally, it is important to highlight the link of Scripture ulties, and human language for the exBarrett forges between inerrancy and aupress purpose of communicating with thority. It is vital to maintain this connecus. When we take shots at the clarity of tion because several professing evangelicals Scripture, we are taking shots at God’s character and keepin the last forty years have sought to preserve authority ing ourselves from the best thing for us: a sure word from while simultaneously dismissing inerrancy. Such a move our Creator. The same occurs when we dismiss inerrancy. cannot be successfully accomplished, however. Ironically, it is the full-blown critics of Scripture that better appreciate The Importance of Inerrancy the inextricable connection between inerrancy and authoriBarrett’s book is heavily researched, carefully written, and ty. Barrett notes, well argued. Nevertheless, for Barrett, the main problem with undermining inerrancy is that we are undermining our The situation worsened with the advent of the Enlightenrelationship with God. ment, liberalism, and eventually postmodernism. The very trustworthiness and truthfulness of the Bible itself was If the Lord were ever to speak falsely, his words would be brought into question, something Rome in the sixteenth not better than the gods he competes with, gods who are century had not been willing to do…history demonstrates mute and whose prophets speak false prophesies (Pos 115:5that when Scripture’s trustworthiness is rejected, it is not 7; 135:16). It is Yahweh’s ability to speak truth (and words long before Scripture’s sufficiency and authority are abanthat come true) that distinguishes him from every other relidoned as well. Again, notice the inseparable and natural congion and their god(s). Genuine believers are those who have nection between inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency. Critics turned away ‘from idols to serve the living and true God of the Bible saw no reason why they should believe the Bible (1 These 1:9). And how do we know he is both “living” and was authoritative when they believed that the Bible was not “true.” By whether his Word is truth” (273). inspired by God but was errant in numerous ways. To them, there could be no, “Thus says the Lord,” when the Lord For Barrett, the issue of God’s trustworthiness—a divine didn’t really speak and the text that says he did speak was attribute that supplies the basis of the possibility of relaerrant to begin with. It made little sense to them to believe tionship—is central to the whole debate. This aspect is often the biblical text was authoritative in what it addressed and lost in the atmosphere of academic dispute, and it can even asserted when that same biblical text, they believed, was ergbfpress.com

rant and uninspired. Whenever this thinking took root, the Reformation understanding of sola Scriptura was seriously undermined (287). The suggestion that we can maintain biblical authority while jettisoning biblical inerrancy is, at basic, an illogical and unbiblical move. Without inerrancy, there can be no authority. Even those without evangelical commitments can see that. Conclusion Barrett’s God’s Word Alone is a noteworthy contribution to

an evangelical doctrine of Scripture. Indeed, Barrett’s book helps us understand what it even means to hold to a Reformed—and thus, truly evangelical—position on Scripture. It is my prayer that the Lord will use this book to draw many who have found themselves caught in the dangerous currents of faulty post-modern epistemologies and the naturalistic assumptions of historical-critical scholarship back onto the safe and pleasant shores of biblical inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency.

The Character of God’s Word Inerrant

Inspired

Sufficient

Infallible

Illuminating Determinative

Enduring

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Complete

Authoritative

Biblical Foundations | The Canon of Scripture

Austin Thompson, Minister of Music and Youth at GBF

Are all the books in my Bible really God’s Word? Are there books in my Bible that should not be there? Are there books outside my Bible that should be there? How was the Bible put together? Is there a doctrine of Scripture that addresses all of these questions?

All of the inquiries above are excellent and important questions regarding Scripture. You may have spent time considering one, if not all, of these questions. I have spoken to both believers and non-believers that have wrestled with these questions in search of the truth. Thankfully, all of these questions are addressed in the doctrine of the canon of Scripture. What do I mean by “canon?” Joel Beeke writes, “the term canon refers to the collection of individual books that together comprise the Old and New Testaments,” that once completed is codified into the Bible.1 Every doctrine of the Christian faith, including the gospel of God’s free gift of eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus, is dependent on the truth that God’s written Word is a living and trustworthy revelation of Himself and His promises. Therefore, identifying which books were sovereignly given by God to rule the church is a task of eternal significance.2 Before we can answer the opening questions, however, it is important that a foundational theology of the canon is established. While an in-depth historical study of the canon would reveal a

vast wealth of information on this topic, there are two major issues we must first address that are necessary for our study.3 First, the concept of a fixed, finite amount of revelation preserved for mankind in written form finds its origin in the sovereign mind and activity of God Himself—He determines what Scripture is and what Scripture is not. This principle has been clearly revealed to and understood by God’s people since the canon of Scripture was inaugurated. Speaking to Israel through Moses, God emphasized the importance of making sure Israel only had God’s Words and not other words. “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deut 4:2, emphasis added; see also Prov 30:5-6). Second, because God is the highest authority, and Scripture is God’s Word, it is the Scriptures themselves that possess the ultimate authority in determining the scope of Scripture. This key truth is summarized in this statement: the Scriptures are self-authenticating. We see the self-authenticating gbfpress.com

nature of Scripture as we examine the relationship between the Church and the canon of Scripture. Specifically, the church receives and corroborates the canon. But in order to receive the canon the church must have access to the books God intended them to have, and in order to corroborate the canon the church must have the means by which to identify the books God intended them to have. It is important to note that this process applies most heavily to the New Testament, and not as much to the Old Testament. The Old Testament canon had been completely received and corroborated by the time of Christ’s incarnation. The most important reason why we accept the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament is because Jesus did (e.g., Luke 24:25-27, 44). Also, while Christ faced great resistance from Jewish religious leaders, the Gospel accounts do not record a single disagreement between both parties regarding the scope or authority of the Old Testament canon. It is Christ’s view of the Old Testament as complete and authoritative that provides the greatest assurance of canonicity. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament, however, were composed after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, necessitating a more calculated method for applying the principles of Scripture in the quest for canonicity. Jesus Himself authorized the writing of these books when he promised His disciples with the Holy Spirit who would bring to their minds everything he said and taught during his earthly ministry (John 14:26). Michael Kruger provides a helpful list of the primary components required for discovering what books belonged in the canon:4

1. Providential exposure. In order for the church to be able to recognize the books of the canon, it must first be providentially exposed to these books. The church cannot recognize a book that it does not have. Upon their completion, the church would GraceNotes | Spring 2018

come in contact with these canonical texts so that it would be able to affirm their status as Scripture. 2. Attributes of canonicity. These attributes are basically characteristics that distinguish canonical books from all other books. There are three attributes of canonicity: (1) divine qualities (canonical books bear the “marks” of divinity); (2) corporate reception (canonical books are recognized by the church as a whole); and (3) apostolic origins (canonical books are the result of the redemptive-historical activity of the apostles).

God (2 Tim 3:16). Christians recognize thirty-nine separate books in the Old Testament5 and twenty-seven separate books in the New Testament that were inspired by God and preserved for mankind. God takes very seriously the communication of His Word to mankind, and Scripture makes it clear that adding or subtracting from what He has spoken is strictly forbidden (Deut 4:2; Prov 30:6; Rev 22:19). Religious texts that add to or subtract from the canon created by God are not to be

3. Internal testimony of the Holy Spirit. In order for believers to rightly recognize these attributes of canonicity, the Holy Spirit works to overcome the noetic effects of sin (i.e., the corruption of our minds) and produces belief that these books are from God. This internal testimony of the Spirit does not work against the evidence, but corresponds with the evidence (see #2) and enables the Christian to affirm what is really true. Laboring under the sovereign hand of God and guided by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the corporate church successfully heard the voice of the Good Shepherd (see John 10:27) and identified the twenty-seven New Testament books intended for its use and possession. With this foundation set in place, we can now examine the opening questions. Are All the Books in My Bible Really God’s Word? It depends on which books your Bible includes or doesn’t include. In order to be included in the canon of Scripture, a book must be divinely inspired by

considered a true Bible. This would include texts such as the Jefferson Bible6, The Book of Mormon7, and the Apocrypha.8 Are there Books In My Bible that should not be there? Are there any Books Missing? These questions overlap with the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. By His divine power, God has granted to us in Scripture everything that we need for a life of godliness (2 Pet 1:3) so that we may be equipped and

complete for every good work (2 Tim 3:17). If one or more of the sixty-six canonical books was not intended by God to be included in Scripture, the Bible could potentially contain error that would hinder believers from being complete for every good work or material that simply wasn’t necessary for a life of godliness. In the same manner, if there were one or more books existing outside the canon intended by God to be included in the canon, believers would not have everything they need

for a life of godliness and would not be equipped for every good work. In both cases, God’s faithfulness ensures our confidence in the sixty-six books that have been preserved. How was the Bible put Assembled? This specific question has caused a great deal of debate throughout church history, especially between the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. To my knowledge, there is no dispute about the names of the twelve

Apostles selected by Jesus, for all three synoptic Gospels and the book of Acts give an account of the men chosen for this privileged office. But Scripture does not include a divine list of all the books God intended to be preserved and codified into the modern canon. How then can we know for sure which books are to be included? Roman Catholic tradition promotes the wisdom and expertise of men— whether by council or church decree—as the final authority for determining which books God has intended to be included in the canon. Biblically speaking, there are major problems with this view, the biggest of which is the elevation of the authority of man and the diminishing of the authority of Scripture. If the final authority for the selection of the canon rested in the hands of mankind, or in anything outside Scripture, there would be an authority higher than Scripture. But God’s Word is clear—there is no authority higher than Scripture on earth (Matt 24:35). Therefore, in response to the Catholic view, the Protestant tradition countered with the doctrine of a self-authenticating canon. Submitting to the authority of Scripture and applying its principles (outlined above), the church received the authoritative Scriptures as they were revealed to her. Scripture demonstrates that inspired books were recognized and accepted immediately upon their completion. When Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of Israel, God’s Law as recorded by Moses was already functioning as canonical (Josh 1:7-8). Similar examples include Daniel’s recognition of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Dan 9:2), Paul’s quotation of Jesus from Luke’s Gospel (1 Tim 5:18), and Peter’s affirmation of Paul’s ability to write Scripture (2 Pet 3:1516).

While it is true that it would have taken time for the early Church to compile complete copies of the New Testament canon, the writings that God had inspired were already functioning as canonical and not reliant upon a council of men to give their seal of approval to the finished product. This point is important to maintain, for a failure to do so would require unanimity among men with regard to the books included in the canon. Were unanimity required by God to have confidence in the canon of Scripture, humanity would have been without hope from the beginning. There are historical examples that testify to this fact. One of the stronger illustrations of this point is Martin Luther’s well-documented suspicion of Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation each of which he gave secondary status to the other twenty-three books within the canon. If a man so mightily used by God in the Reformation was susceptible to ascribing secondary status to some biblical books, it becomes clear that requiring unanimity for canonicity would be disasterous. Thankfully, the greater consensus of the church, the complete body of Christ possessing all the gifts necessary for the furthering of His kingdom, and not unanimity, is the guiding means of corroborating the canon. In conclusion, the modern Christian can have confidence in the completed canon of Scripture. It has been given to us by a faithful God, affirmed and authorized by our Lord Jesus Christ, self-authenticated by its divinely inspired qualities, received by the church, and corroborated by the general consensus of Christians for more than two thousand years. Attacks against the Word of God will continue until the end of the age, but in His mercy God has graciously given to His Church a canon to fuel its labors for the kingdom and in order to present every man complete in Christ (Col 1:28).

________________

1. Joel R. Beeke, and Don Kistler, Sola Scriptura:

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The Protestant Position on the Bible (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust Pub., 2013), 40. 2. John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2010), 134. 3. For a rich study of the canon of Scripture, I recommend Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books by Michael J. Kruger, and The Doctrine of the Word of God by John M. Frame. 4. Michael J. Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 94. 5. Our modern English Old Testament canon includes thirty-nine books. The original Hebrew canon is divided into three sections, and is comprised of twenty-four books: The Law (5 books), The Prophets (8 books), and The Writings (11 books). The difference between the two numbers

is represented in the separation of books that were initially identified as one whole, includingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra/Nehemiah, and the Twelve Minor Prophets. 6. The Jefferson Bible is known for subtracting from Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Word, specifically with respect to the miracles and resurrection of Christ in the Gospels. 7. While the Mormon Church advocates the King James Bible as one of their holy texts, they claim additional texts, such as the Book of Mormon, to be equal with the Bible. 8. The Roman Catholic Church includes the Apocrypha, a group of extra-biblical ancient texts, as divinely inspired, authoritative, and canonical despite containing errors and contradictions to other parts of Scripture.

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